A 

A 

0 

0  : 
0  i 

3  I 

2  I 
8  i 

3  i 
2  i 
5  i 


:  C 


;  a: 

'  m 

:  33 


"o 


■  D3 

'  HI 


r]ONSTANT,  day  after  day  Cycling  is 
almost  impossible  without  the    «?*    «^ 


SAGE 


Shows  pom- 
mel    saddle. 
MiuU'insfv 
eral     shapes 
and    \\  idllis. 


~\ 


FLEXIBLE 


Shows    line    of 
support,  INSIDE 
the     edges,     all 
rouiul    


SADDLE 

1  lieTriiuntili  nf  Saildle  MakuiL;.  Sole- leather  base, 
with  new  lines  of  support.  A  lirni  seat  that  yields 
readily  to  the  form.  Descrilied  in  free  Art 
Catalogue.        Address   SAGElt,   Rochester,  X.  'i'. 

WATCH    FOR    THE    SAGER    CHAINLESS    GEAR. 

IT'S  PERFECT. 


h 


Why  Not  Cycle  Abroad 
Yourself  ? 


WHAT     A     BICVCLK     TRIP     IN     EUROPE     COSTvS,     HOW     TO 

TAKE      IT,      HOW      TO     ENJOY     IT,     WITH     A 

NARRATIVE   OK   PERSONAL   TOURS, 

II^I<U,STRATIONS   AND 

MAPS. 


BY 

CLARENCE  STETSON. 


CcM■^•Kl(;HT    iSq8. 


Published  by  F.   &   E.   GRHHNHBAUM, 
13   Spruce  St.,   New  York. 


For    Sale    by    The    American    News    (^ompaii)' 

Paper,  jo   Cents  ;     Cloth,   75   Cents  and  $ r. 


f^ 


Copyrighted  1898. 
By  Clarence  Stetson.     All  rights  reserved. 


CHAPTER    I. 


The  Pleasures  and  Cheapness  of  a  Bicycle 
Tour  Abroad. 


^ 


h 


3!nD  OER   the   tfILL/   AND    FAR  AWAY 

EeYOMD    ™^^^GiL2feC^E  DAY 
Al  Li^^rf^ WORLD  <WE  FOLIOWEO  -HIM 


■?WR:    »..»- 


EARS  ago  Tennyson  wrote  these 
lines  to  describe  the  perigrinations 
of  a  young  woman  in  love.  The  poet 
doesn't  say  how  his  hero  and  hero- 
ine traveled,  so  they  may  have 
taken  the  railroad  train,  or  voyaged 
by   an    ocean    steamer,    or   possibly 

they  traveled  by  balloon,  or  had  a  bit  of  the 

magic     carpet     mentioned     in     the     "Arabian 

Nights." 
But  if  Tennyson  were  writing  of  to-day,  we 

should  have  no   hesitation   in   concluding  how 

"she"  followed  him. 


What  would  any  sensible  nineteenth  century 
up-to-date  young  woman  do  nowadays  if  set- 
ting out  on  a  journey  beyond  the  night  and 
across  the  day,  to  say  nothing  of  going  be- 
yond the  furthermost  purple  rim?  Why,  nat- 
urally she  would  get  out  her  bicycle,  read  this 
little  book  which  would  tell  her  all  she  need  to 
know,  and  start  off  throughout  the  world  at  an 
expense  which  would  make  her  or  anyone  else 
think  living  in  a  Harlem  flat  dear  by  compari- 
son, considering  the  returns  achieved. 

But  seriously,  even  in  this  land  of  bicycles, 
where  grown  women  would  like  to  tuck  their 
wheels  under  their  pillows  at  night,  just  as 
they  used  to  do  with  their  dolls,  in  days  gone 
by,  are  the  possibilities  of  the  bicycle  fully 
understood?  A  change  of  scene  is  quite  as 
necessary  to  health  and  contentment  of  mind  as 
change  of  diet,  and  it  is  fair  to  believe  that 
there  are  many  American  cyclists  who  would 
like  to  get  away  from  the  beaten  track  and 
cycle  in  Europe  if  they  were  not  deterred  by 
the  lack  of  knowledge  of  how  much  It  would 
cost  and  the  way  to  do  it,  besides  being  over- 
whelmed at  the  prospect  of  wheeling  in  coun- 
tries where  they  could  not  speak  the  language. 
Let  me  in  a  single  round  settle  these  two  buga- 
boos of  cycling  abroad. 

As  to  the  expense:  Aside  from  the  first  cost 
of  the  ocean  passage  a  European  tour  on  a 
bicycle  costs  no  more  than,  if  as  much  as,  an 
ordinary    summer    outing    at    home    under    the 


same  conditions  and   of  a   like   duration.     Ttie 
truth  is  that  the  cheapness  of  a  wheeling  tour 
in  Europe  is  really  remarkable — if  one  wishes  to 
make  it  cheap  and  knows  how.  As  to  languages 
one  has  no  need  of  an  interpreter.     Abroad,  as 
elsewhere,  money  talks  and  is  the   best   inter- 
preter  you   can   possibly   have.     However,   this 
statement  is  made  with  limitation.     I  have  no 
wish   to   disparage  the  worth   of   linguistic  at- 
tainments, and  no  one  is  further  from  belittling 
the  value   of   a   knowledge   of   French,    for    in- 
stance,   with    a   smattering   of   as    many    other 
languages  thrown   in  as  you  can   conveniently 
get  into  your  hand  bag.    Still,  one  can  go  as  far 
as  to  say  that  with  a  fair  idea,  in  advance,  of 
what  things  ought  to  cost,  and  with  all  the  in- 
formation which  it  is  our  object  to  have  com- 
prised  in    this    little    volume,    one    can   travel 
throughout  Europe  on  a  bicycle  without  being 
subjected   either   to   extortion   or   petty   annoy- 
ances,   and    with    perfect    ease,    comfort    and 
safety.     I   make  this  statement,   too,   not  from 
any  theoretical  point  of  view.   It  is  based  on  ac- 
tual   experience    in    Italy,    where,    ordinarily, 
nothing  is  spoken  except  the  language  of  the 
country.  There  I  have  often  stopped  at  a  cafe  to 
enquire    the    way    to    the    next    town    in    my 
choicest  Italian,   and  have  been   understood  to 
say  that  I  wanted  a  bottle  of  their  best  Chianti. 
Still,  such  an  experience  is  so  novel,  and  you 
and  your  friends  get  so  much  amusement  out 
of  it,  that  it  l)ecomes  a  pleasant  incident  of  the 

5 


trip.  Besides,  it  really  isn't  a  serious  matter 
if  you  get  to  your  destination  perhaps  a  bit 
later  than  you  expected.  You  may  be  sure  that 
the  extra  time  will  not  have  been  without  pleas- 
ure and  profit. 

In  Holland,  too,  cyclists  find  that  they  might 
as  well  be  deaf  mutes  as  far  as  holding  ex- 
tended communication  with  the  inhabitants 
goes.  The  fact  is,  that  with  good  maps  which 
can  be  obtained  anywhere  in  Europe  and 
which  are  made  specially  for  the  use  cyclists, 
one  doesn't  need  to  do  much  talking,  particu- 
larly if  the  route  has  been  carefully  studied 
beforehand.  Still,  one  will  find  it  very  con- 
venient to  have  in  one's  pocket  one  of  Nutt's 
dictionaries,  which  are  only  about  three  or  four 
inches  long  by  two  or  three  wide,  and  give  you 
an  astonishingly  complete  list  of  English  words 
with  the  foreign  equivalent  in  the  language  of 
whatever  country  you  may  find  yourself  in. 
These  useful  little  volumes  unite,  too,  the  quali- 
ties of  a  dictionary  and  a  conversational  hand- 
book, besides  "containing  much  general  infor- 
mation in  foot  notes.  With  such  able  assist- 
ance and  a  map  the  most  timid  traveler  will 
feel  himself  at  home  anywhere  in  Europe. 

So  much  for  any  linguistic  difficulties 
Now  we'll  get  down  to  the  solid  facts  of  what 
is  necessary  to  the  successful  accomplishment 
of  a  bicycle  trip  in  Europe  and  the  attendant 
expenses  of  the  journey  from  the  time  you 
leave  New  York  until  the  return  trip  is  made. 


Books,  almost  beyond  number,  have  been 
written  of  ordinary  trips  to  every  corner  o? 
Europe,  and  Baedelter  supplies  every  want  of 
the  ordinary  tourist.  Therefore,  all  informa- 
tion other  than  that  of  use  to  cyclists,  and  all 
incidents  not  of  peculiar  interest  to  them,  will 
find  no  place  in  the  following  chapters. 

Of  course  the  bicycle,  like  the  baby — I  be- 
lieve in  families  where  expense  is  an  item  and 
they  can't  have  both,  they  generally  choose  the 
former— is  the  first  thing  to  be  considered. 

In  the  matter  of  the  transportation  of  your 
wheel  you  have  no  reason  for  speculation  as  to 
the  cost.  All  the  steamship  lines,  no  matter 
what  may  be  the  cost  of  a  first  cabin  passage, 
have  "pooled"  their  issues  and  have  agreed 
upon  a  uniform  rate  of  $2.50  for  each  wheel. 
It  is  required  that  your  bicycle  should  be 
crated  in  some  manner  or  other.  In  France, 
basket  frames,  which  can  be  had  for  $.5,  are 
much  in  vogue,  but  a  bicycle  can  readily  be 
nailed  up  with  light  boards  at  a  very  moderate 
cost  and  in  such  a  way  as  to  answer  every  pur- 
pose; or  any  bicycle  dealer  will  crate  your 
wheel  for  you. 

The  initial  expense  of  the  ocean  trip  depends 
largely  upon  your  tastes,  inclinations  and  the 
place  in  Europe  at  which  you  wish  to  begin  your 
actual  wheeling.  The  rates  on  all  steamships 
are  about  twenty  per  cent,  higher  between  the 
last  of  April  and  the  last  of  October  than  dur- 
ing the  rest  of  the  year.    To  give  some  basis  of 


just  named— from  $85  to  $1U7  as  Ciie  lowest  sin- 
gle first-class  ticket  through  from  New  York  to 
London;  to  Paris,  $90  to  $110;  $75  to  $100  to 
Southampton,  Liverpool,  Plymouth  or  Havre; 
$90  to  $110  to  Bremen  or  Hamburg. 
During  the  winter  season  these  rates 
are  reduced  to  the  basis  of  about  $80  to 
London.  For  outside  staterooms,  and  those  on 
the  upper  or  promenade  deck  higher  rates  are 
charged.  If  you  are  willing  to  go  second  class, 
where  often  the  accommodations  are  very  good 
and  the  table  excellent,  you  can  travel  at  about 
65  per  cent,  of  these  figures.  Besides  crossing 
on  the  great  and  best  known  lines  there  are 
other  and  extremely  comfortable  ways  of  get- 
ting across  the  Atlantic,  if  you  are  willing  to 
spend  a  little  more  time  at  it.  All  the  first 
class  line  steamers  cross  in  about  seven  days. 
If  you  are  willing  to  devote  ten  days  to  it  you 
can  go  to  London  in  the  summer  season,  first 
class,  on  the  Atlantic  Transport  or  Leyland 
lines  for  $50  to  $70.  These  steamers  have  "bilge 
keels" — an  arrangement  which  practically  pre- 
vents rolling — and  while  they  carry  cattle  the 
cattle  are  all  below  decks,  and  out  of  sight, 
and  are  no  source  of  annoyance.  Many  persons 
prefer  these  steamers  because  of  their  great 
steadiness.  Their  table  has  been  highly  com- 
mended. 

Besides  these  steamers  there  are  lines,  not  so 
well  known  as  the  first-class  companies,  which 
will  carry  you  in  very  comfortable  steamers  to 

8 


Amsterdam  for  $75  to  $80,  or  to  Antwerp  for 
$65  to  175.  You  can  also  go  to  Glasgow  for 
from  $50  to  $80.  All  these  prices  are  for  single 
first-class  tickets  in  the  summer  season.  Winter 
rates  are  at  a  reduction,  but  under  the  new 
agreement  between  the  steamship  companies 
round  trip  tickets  except  on  one  or  two  lines 
are  no  longer  offered  at  a  discount.  While 
winter  rates  «xci  in  force  one  can  cross  for  as 
little  as  $45. 

You  will  find  it  to  your  advantage,  as  soon 
as  you  have  selected  your  European  destination 
and  the  line  by  which  you  wish  to  reach  it,  to 
secure  your  staterooms  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment.  The  summer  rush  to  Europe  is  now 
so  heavy  that  all  the  rooms  on  some  steamers 
are  taken  a  month  before  the  vessel  sails. 

If  you  decide  to  land  at  an  English  port — 
Southampton,  Liverpool,  or  Plymouth,  let  us 
say — you  will  find  wheeling  thence  to  London 
an  enjoyable  experience.  There  are  no  customs 
duties  in  England  on  bicycles,  and  no  irksome 
regulations  governing  the  introduction  of  your 
wheel.  The  roads  are  admirable,  the  scenery, 
while  quiet,  is  sweet  and  refreshing,  and  many 
of  the  towns  on  the  way  have  interesting  old 
churches  or  places  of  historical  interest,  the 
only  drawback  being  that  sometimes  the  rural 
inns  leave  much  to  be  desired.  If  you  land 
at  Southampton  you  will  find  much  to  interest 
you  at  Winchester  and  Aldershot;  your  road 
from    Plymouth    l)rings    you    through    Exeter, 

9 


r 


ON    TiE  WAY      TO 


Taunton,  Bristol  and  Bath;  from  Liverpool  you 
can  make  Manchester,  the  Peaks  of  Derby  or 
Oxford,  on  your  way  to  London.  From  London 
you  can  ride  down  to  Dover  through  the  lovely 
Kentish  hills  and  Rochester  and  Canterbury,  and 
take  the  boat  at  a  small  cost  for  Calais;  or  you 
can  buy  a  railroad  ticket  by  New  Haven  and 
Dieppe  to  Paris  for  $6,  and  ship  your  wheel  as 
baggage;  or  you  can  get  to  the  Continent  in 
half  a  dozen  other  ways,  for  the  most  part 
agreeable  and  cheap. 

Bicycling  in  England  is  so  much  like  bicycl- 
ing at  home,  among  a  people  with  a  common 
language,  and  customs,  which,  though  different, 
are  really  familiar  to  us,  that  no  suggestions 
are  needed  for  the  assistance  or  comfort  of  the 
fortunate  person  who  undertakes  it.  The  only 
essential  wherein  it  differs  from  bicycling  in 
the  United  States  is  that  the  wheelman  must 
keep  to  the  left  of  the  road  instead  of  to  the 
right. 

If  a  tour  in  England  is  contemplated  before 
going  to  the  continent,  I  should  certainly  rec- 
ommend the  tourist  to  join  the  Touring  Club  of 
England,  as  that  will  entitle  him  to  a  card  of 
membership,  and  by  showing  this  he  will  avoid 
any  question  over  duties  on  landing  in  France. 
The  imposition  of  duties  on  tourists'  bicycles 
in  France  seems  to  depend  upon  certain  condi- 
tions.    I  have  known  many  Americans  who  on 
landing  have  had   no  difficulty   whatsoever  in 
persuading  the  French  Custom   House  officials 

11 


that  they  were  merely  tourists,  aud  have  been 
allowed  thereupon  to  pass  their  bicycles  free 
of  duty.  In  other  instances,  however,  the  duty 
has  been  demanded,  and  no  explanations  would 
suffice  to  make  the  official  change  his  mind  on 
that  point.  Perhaps  it  makes  a  difference 
whether  you  see  a  French  Custom  House  offi- 
cial before  or  after  dinner.  But  after  all,  this 
isn't  a  very  serious  matter,  and  if  the  official 
insists  upon  your  paying  duty  on  your  ma- 
chine after  you  have  explained  to  him  that  you 
are  simply  on  a  pleasure  tour,  the  best  thing  to 
do  is  to  pay  the  money  and  take  a  receipt.  This 
receipt  you  present  when  you  leave  France, 
whether  it  is  on  your  way  back  home  or  in 
crossing  the  frontier  into  some  other  country, 
and  you  receive  your  money  back  again.  That 
is,  if  you  take  your  bicycle  outside  of  France 
within  a  year  from  the  time  you  entered  it. 
The  duty  anyway  is  only  25  cents  a  pound, 
which  means  that  you  are  only  tying  up  $5  or 
$6  during  your  stay  in  the  country.  The  absur- 
dity of  taxing  bicycles  by  the  pound  is  easily 
seen  when  one  stops  to  think  that  a  most  care- 
fully made  machine  of  extraordinary  lightness, 
which  may  have  cost  $200,  and  may  be  the 
property  of  a  millionaire,  would  pay  less  duty 
than  the  heavy  old  fashioned  machine  of  some 
poor  laboring  man  who  could  afford  no  better. 
If  you  are  going  to  France  it  is  wise  to  be- 
come a  member  of  the  French  Touring  Club, 
because  that  enables  you  to  take  your  bicycle 

12 


in  free  of  duty  and  gives  you  other  substantial 
advantages,  as  will  appear  later.  It  is  possible 
to  join  the  Touring  Club  de  France  by  apply- 
ing to  Mr.  Francis  S.  Hesseltine,  Delegue,  Tour- 
ing Club  de  France,  10  Tremont  street,  Boston, 
Mass.  The  following  is  the  blank  form  which 
has  to  be  filled  out.  The  expense  attached  is 
only  $1.20,  which  includes  the  admission  fee 
and  the  annuaire  which  is  issued  by  the  Club 
monthly. 

DEMANDE    D'ADMISSION. 

Je  demande  mon  admission  au  TOURING-CLUB 
DE    FRANCE. 

Ci-joinl:  5  francs,  montant  de  la  cotisation  de 
I'annee  courante,  plus  1  fr.  pour  recevoir  I'ANNU- 
AIRE  franco  (*).  (Le  rachat  de  la  cotisation  est 
admis  moyennant  le  versement  d'une  somme  de 
Cent  fra-ncs;  il  confere  la  qualite  de  Membre  a 
vie). 

Les  candidats  habitant  les  Colonies  ou  I'Etrang-er 
doivent  joindre  1  franc  pour  le  service  de  la  Revue. 

NOTA.— Le  volume  "Plans  de  Voyages'  et  d"Ex- 
cursions"  pour  toute  la  France  et  pays  voisins  est 
joint  a  renvoi  moyennant  un  franc. 

SIGNATURE: 

Nom   

Prenoms    

Profession    

(Soit   I'actuelle,    soit    I'ancienne.) 

Xationalite    

Decorations  et   distinctions   honoritiques    

(*)  Envoyer  les  mandats  ou  bons  de  poste  au 
nom  do  M.  P.  Leroy.   tresorier  du  T.  C.  F. 

But  such  an  application  shonhl  be  made  at 
least  six  weeks  or  two  months  prior  to  the 
time  fixed  for  your  departure.  If  this  course  is 
pursued  all  troubb'  about  enteriug  your  bicycle 

13 


into  France  is  done  away  with  at  once.  There 
is  another  association  in  Boston  which  ladies 
traveling  alone  may  find  it  to  their  interest  to 
consult  before  taking  the  European  trip.  It  is 
known  as  the  "Women's  Rest  Tour  Associa- 
tion." Its  object  is  to  furnish  to  women  who 
travel  for  rest,  study  or  pleasure,  such  prac- 
tical advice  and  encouragement  as  shall  enable 
them  to  travel  independently,  intelligently  and 
economically.  For  membership  in  the  Associa- 
tion and  all  particulars  apply  to  No.  264  Boyl- 
ston  street,  Boston,  Mass. 


14 


^H^^ 


CHAPTER    II, 

Information  and  General  Advice. 

T  HAS  already  been  stated  that  there 


is  no  duty  on  entering  your  bicycle 
in  England  for  touring  purposes. 
For  information  as  to  joining  the 
Cyclers'  Touring  Club  apply  to 
Mr.  Frank  W.  Weston,  United 
States  Chief  Consul,  Boston.  Mr. 
Weston  will  furnish  information  free,  but 
applicants  should  send  stamps  for  reply. 
The  membership  of  this  English  cycling 
club  is  an  international  one,  there  being  be- 
tween forty  and  fifty  thousand  members  al- 
ready enrolled.  Circulars  of  application  for 
membership,  information  as  to  hand  books, 
road  maps,  badges  and  all  like  details  can  be 
had  on  applying  as  above.  The  annual  sub- 
scription fee  is  $1.35,  while  the  entrance  fee  is 
thirty  cents.  The  advantages  of  the  club  arc 
detailed  in  their  circulars  and  embody  the  fol- 
lowing: 

15 


To  encourage  and  facilitate  tuuring  In  all  parts  of 
the  world. 

To  provide  riding  or  touring  companions. 

To  protect  its  members  against  any  infringement  of 
the  lights  and  privileges  to  which  they  are  entitled. 
and  to  extend  those  rights  and  privileges  wherever 
iiossible. 

To  secure  special  rates  and  increased  privileges,  and 
to  appoint  hotels  and  inns  for  the  convenience  of  its 
membeis  in  all  countries  where  cycling  is  practiced. 

To  appoint  a  consul  in  every  town,  who  shall  render 
to  his  fellow-members  local  information  germane  to 
the  pastime  unobtainable  from  other  sources. 

To  similarly  appoint  oflicial  repairers,  competent  to 
remedy  breakages  and  defects  in  machines. 

To  publish  monthly  an  official  gazette,  to  be  supplied 
gratis  to  members  only. 

To  compile  and  issue  to  members  at  reduced  prices, 
maps  and  road  boolts  especially  adapted  to  the  require- 
ments of  the  cyclist. 

To  inculcate  and  encourage  an  esprit  de  corps  in  the 
brotherhood  of  the  wheel,  and  to  uphold  and  pro- 
mote the  true  interests  of  cycling  the  wide  world  over. 

The  L.  A.  W.  is  represented  in  England  by 
the  Foreign  Marshal,  Joseph  Pennell,  care  J.  S. 
Morgan  &  Co..  22  Old  Broad  Street,  London, 
E.  C. 


FRANCK. 

If  you  have  made  no  other  arrangements  and 
have  not  joined  the  Touring  Club  de  France, 
but  have  simply  decided  to  pay  duty  on  your 
wheel  on  landing  in  France,  you  will  receive, 
on  handing  over  the  twenty-five  cents  per 
pound,  a  receipt  for  the  sum,  and  the  official 
will  also  attach  a  lead  seal  to  your  wheel.  This 
is  what  is  Itnown  as  having  your  bicycle 
plombe.  The  seal  is  removed  when  you  claim 
your   deposit  at  any   frontier   point  by   which 

16 


you  may  leave  France.  French  citizens  pay 
$2  a  year  as  a  tax  on  their  machine.  The 
imposition  of  this  tax  on  bicycles  brings  m 
something  like  $150,000  in  Paris  alone,  which 
is  about  one-fifth  of  the  sum  received  from  the 
tax  throughout  the  whole  of  France,  In  road 
riding  you  will  notice  that  the  hills  are  nearly 
always  marked  with  posts,  which  warn  the 
rider  of  their  dangers  either  in  the  way  of 
steepness  or  sharp  turns.  But  in  France  even 
ladies  can  easily  ride  many  of  the  hills  marked 
as  dangerous.  The  edict  of  the  Prefet  of  Police 
in  Paris  says  that  your  machine  must  bear  a 
bell  or  gong  which  can  be  heard  at  least  fifty 
yards,  and  in  Paris  particularly  one  must  be 
very  certain  to  have  some  sort  of  a  light  as 
darkness  approaches.  Chinese  lanterns  carried 
in  the  hand  are  in  very  general  use.  In  streets 
crowded  with  pedestrians  the  rider  must  dis- 
mount and  push  his  wheel.  Cyclists  are  not 
allowed  to  form  in  groups  so  as  to  obstruct  the 
public  ways  or  cross  funerals  or  military  pro- 
cessions. They  are  forbidden  to  cycle  on  foot- 
paths reserved  for  pedestrians  except  in  special 
instances  where  the  road  is  impassable,  and 
then  they  are  expected  to  moderate  their  speed. 
The  French  Minister  of  Public  Works  has 
compelled  by  decree  all  railroads  to  carry 
cycles  as  baggage  and  makes  them  responsible 
for  any  damage.  The  rules  of  the  road  for 
keeping  to  the  right  and  other  details  are  the 
same  as  in  the  United  States.     All  citizens  of 

17 


France  who  ride  bicycles  are  required  to  have 
their  names  and  addresses  on  their  machines, 
and  it  is  just  as  well  for  even  a  casual  visitor  to 
take  the  same  precaution,  although  he  may 
not  be  liable  to  the  same  regulations,  being  a 
non-resident.  In  fact,  I  have  ridden  a  bicycle 
two  years  in  Paris  without  ever  having  been 
asked  to  show  my  plaque,  or  official  certificate. 
Still,  if  you  are  not  living  at  a  hotel,  observation 
of  this  provision  of  the  law  will  probably  be 
demanded. 

The  advantages  to  the  members  of  the  Tour- 
ing Club  de  France  are  quite  pronounced.  One 
of  the  chief  is  the  freedom  with  which  you  can 
cross  the  frontiers  of  the  neighboring  coun- 
tries without  being  troubled  by  custom  officials 
for  a  deposit  on  your  machine,  for  the  club  has 
obtained  this  concession  in  behalf  of  its  mem- 
bers from  most  of  the  adjacent  nations.  Inci- 
dentally, many  hotels  give  a  discount,  in  most 
cases  of  ten  per  cent,  and,  moreover,  one  is 
assured  of  courteous  treatment  and  special  con- 
sideration if  one  displays  a  badge  or  card  of 
membership  in  this  club,  which  now  numbers 
more  than  sixty  thousand  members.  The  club 
also  has  a  representative  in  every  town  and 
city  in  France  always  willing  to  give  you  any 
advice  and  information  possible.  The  club's 
headquarters  are  situated  in  the  Rue  Coq- 
Heron,  No.  5,  Paris.  It  is  well  always  to  have 
photograph  on  your  card  of  identity,  a  fac 
simile  of  which  is  appended. 

18 


^m  m 


ITffl¥i 


SIGNATUREOU     TITULAIRE 


'ufjiaHesialion  ctejvijil. 

ENSEiGNEMENTS    f     NATU^t  E  iaROu 
OURLAOOUANE     I     GENRFH0A«r*l 


t,.Ary>^ 


?^alisation  de  la  Signature  de 

^«^ 


RELGIUM, 


Before  making  a  trip  to  Belgium,  it  is 
well  to  get  a  special  permit  from  the  head- 
quarters of  the  club  in  the  Rue  Coq- 
Heron,  as  the  Belgium  authorities  are  more 
particular  in  such  matters  than  those  that 
one  finds  on  almost  any  other  frontier. 

Tourists  not  members  of  the  Touring 
Club  de  France  have  to  make  a  deposit  at 
the  Belgium  Custom  House  of  a  sum 
amounting  to  twelve  per  cent,  ad  valorem. 
This  amount  is  refunded  when  you  take 
your  machine  out  of  the  country.  The  ex- 
emption allowed  to  the  Touring  Club  mem- 
bers is  for  six  months  only.  There  is  always 
less  trouble  getting  your  wheel  across  the 

19 


frontier  if  you  are  riding  it  and  not  travel- 
ing by  train.  Persons  wlio  are  going  to 
travel  in  Europe  by  rail  are  advised  not 
to  take  their  wheels  with  them  at  all  un- 
less they  are  going  to  make  a  long  stay  at 
some  given  point.  You  can  hire  very  fair 
bicycles  anywhere  in  Europe. 

GERMANY. 

The  duty  on  bicycles  in  Germany  amounts 
to  three  cents  a  pound,  if  the  machine  is  for 
sale.  The  tourists  pay  nothing— no  deposit 
Is  required.  The  foreign  consul  of  the 
League  of  American  Wheelmen  in  Germany 
can  always  be  consulted  for  advice  and  in- 
formation. His  address  is  Friedrich 
Schleicher,  Duren  Rheinland,  Bonner- 
strasse,  16,  Germany. 

AUSTRIA, 

In  Austria,  by  special  decree,  you  are 
compelled  to  swear  that  your  wheel  is  not 
for  sale  and  that  you  are  simply  a  tem- 
porary visitor  in  Austria;  you  then  deposit 
$10  at  the  Custom  House,  but  this  deposit 
is  refunded  when  you  take  your  wheel  out 
of  the  country. 

ITAl.V. 

Here  you  deposit  a  sum  amounting  to  a 
little  more  than  $8  as  a  guarantee  that  your 

20 


wheel  is  not  for  sale.  Members  of  the  Tour- 
ing Club  de  France  are  exempt  on  present- 
ing their  card  of  membership,  but  you 
must  not  forget  to  declare  your  wheel,  in 
crossing  the  frontier  again,  on  your  way 
out  of  Italy;  otherwise  your  club  will  be 
called  upon  to  pay  the  duty  on  your  ma- 
chine. If  you  have  made  a  deposit  it  is 
given  back  to  you  when  you  leave  the 
country. 

SWITZERLAND. 

The  duty  here  amounts  to  six  cents  a 
pound,  and  the  conditions  are  the  same  as 
in  Italy,  members  of  the  Touring  Club  de 
France  being  exempt.  On  each  frontier  a 
lead  seal  will  be  attached  to  your  machine 
and  will  be  removed  when  you  cross  it 
again. 

DENMARK. 

Here  you  deposit  with  the  Custom  House 
ten  per  cent,  ad  valorem  with  a  guarantee 
you  will  not  sell  your  wheel.  The  deposit 
will  only  be  refunded  at  the  Custom  House 
where  the  entry  was  made,  unless  by  spe- 
cial permit. 

EGVI'T. 

Duty,  eight  per  cent,  ad-valorem,  of  which 
only  seven   per  cent,   will   be  refunded.     Be 

21 


particular  to  get  the  proper  receipt  for  your 
money  deposited. 

GREECE. 

Cyclists  have  to  pay  first  an  octroi  duty 
of  forty  cents  payable  at  point  of  entry. 
This  will  be  i-eturned.  There  is  still  an- 
other duty  of  $2,  which  will  be  returned 
to  you  less  $1  for  expenses,  or  with  a  slight- 
ly additional  charge  if  you  do  not  leave  the 
country  at  the  same  Custom  House. 

LUXEMBOURG. 

Duty  here  is  about  three  cents  a  pound, 
the  members  of  tae  Touring  Club  de  France 
being  exempt. 

XETHERLANDS. 

Duty  is  five  per  cent,  ad  valorem,  but 
tourists  enter  without  having  to  make  a 
deposit  or  pay  any  duty. 

PORTUGAL. 

Tourists  pay  a  duty  of  twenty-seven  per 
cent,  ad  valorem,  but  can  get  their  money 
back  on  leaving  the  country  by  any  point 
where  there  is  a  custom  house. 

SPAIN. 

Here  the  duty  amounts  to  about  six  cents 
a  pound,  on  depositing  which  you  receive 

22 


a  pass  good  for  six  months,  for  which  you 
pay  the  sum  of  twenty  cents.  In  this 
country  there  are  many  petty  formalities 
connected  with  getting  your  pass,  and  if  the 
slightest  mistake  is  made  in  your  declara- 
tion, or  you  in  any  way  misunderstand  the 
requirements,  you  do  not  get  your  money 
back  when  you  leave  the  country.  There- 
fore it  is  better  here  to  engage  somebody 
beforehand  to  arrange  the  matter  for  you. 

S^VEDE]V. 

Here  a  deposit  of  fifteen  per  cent,  ad 
valorem  is  demanded,  and  in  order  to  have 
the  money  refunded  you  must  leave  the 
country  by  the  port  of  entry.  If  you  re- 
main in  the  country  more  than  sixty  days 
your  deposit  is  forfeited. 

TlRIvEY. 

Duty  required  amounts  to  eight  per  cent, 
ad  valorem,  of  which  only  seven  per  cent,  is 
returned  to  you  and  you  are  lucky  if  you 
get  that. 

RUSSIA. 

The  payment  of  $7.80  on  each  machine  is 
here  required.  You  can't  get  this  money 
back  unless  you  go  out  by  the  port  of  entry, 
except  by  obtaining  a  special  permit. 


KOUMANIA. 

Here  you  pay  $1.55  on  each  machine, 
which  will  be  returned  to  you  at  the  port 
of  entry  or  elsewhere  by  special  permit. 

Of  course  I  needn't  warn  any  cyclist  to  be 
sure  and  start  with  his  wheel  in  perfect  order. 
It  is  also  well  to  take  duplicate  pieces  of  all 
parts  of  the  machine  which  are  liable  to  break 
or  get  out  of  order.  The  chain,  the  nuts  and 
the  other  parts  which  you  may  require  for  your 
special  machine  may  not  be  obtainable  in  every 
small  town  in  Europe.  Of  course  some  cyclists 
are  born  mechanics  and  can  fix  their  own 
wheels;  such  are  to  be  congratulated,  as  the 
others  may  have  to  put  up  with  bungling  work 
in  the  way  of  repairs.  But  no  one  will  make 
any  mistake  in  taking  as  many  duplicate  parts 
of  his  machine  along  as  possible.  It  is  well 
to  remember,  too,  when  you  are  boxing  your 
machine  for  the  Atlantic  trip,  to  cover  all  the 
nickel  parts  with  a  little  vaseline  or  whatever 
may  be  your  favorite  preparation  for  prevent- 
ing rust.  And  don't  forget  to  take  along  a 
good  stick  of  graphite  for  the  chain. 

Wheeling  in  the  more  remote  country  dis- 
tricts is  much  more  attractive  and  picturesque 
than  going  over  the  same  ground  by  railroad, 
and,  in  fact,  some  of  the  most  delightful  trips 
are  those  furthest  from  where  the  railroad  runs. 
Odd  little  hotels  v^ith  quaint  surroundings  are 

24 


to  be  found  everywhere,  and  cheapness  of 
rates  and  an  honest  display  of  hospitality  seem 
to  go  hand  in  hand.  Besides,  and  more  par- 
ticularly is  it  the  case  if  there  are  ladies  in 
the  party,  you  will  find  yourself  objects  of  ex- 
traordinary interest  wherever  you  go.  Of 
course  the  saving  in  railroad  fares  lightens 
very  much  the  cost  of  the  trip  and  bicyclists 
always  get  the  best  of  rates  at  the  hotels. 

The  only  uncertainty  as  to  the  pleasure  of 
touring  on  a  wheel  in  Europe,  is,  of  course,  due 
to  the  weather.  But  naturally,  when  it  rains, 
you  don't  wheel.  In  such  a  case  if  merely 
caught  in  a  light  shower,  the  gauze  rubber  capo, 
weighing  only  a  few  ounces,  which  you  should 
include  in  the  effects  which  you  carry  on  your 
machine,  would  be  sufficient  to  protect  you 
until  you  arrive  at  the  nearest  town  or  village 
where  there  is  a  railway  or  a  tramway.  From 
there  you  can  make  for  the  largest  town  or 
city  by  rail,  and  there  is  sure  to  be  one  not 
many  miles  away.  Once  there,  the  novelty  of 
finding  yourself  amid  new  surroundings  lessens 
very  much  the  weariness  of  waiting  for  the 
rain  to  stop.  I  remember  when  it  rained  for 
three  days,  near  Verona,  while  I  was  riding 
with  a  party  through  Italy,  but  in  spite  of  the 
rain  that  mouldy  old  city  furnished  such  an 
array  of  attractions  that  we  wouldn't  have 
much  cared  if  another  flood  had  come  along. 
Moreover,  nearly  everywhere  in  Europe  the 
roads   are    so   constructed    that   they    dry   very 

25 


yuickly,  and  one  can  proceed  on  one's  way  al- 
most immediately  after  the  rain  has  stopped. 

When  you  do  take  a  train  with  your  bicycle 
it  is  well  always  to  remember  the  porter  liber- 
ally, bearing  in  mind  that  liberality  means  from 
six  to  ten  cents,  and  he  will  handle  your  wheel 
more  carefully  than  he  otherwise  would.  And, 
in  case  you  have  time,  it  is  well  to  supervise 
the  operation  of  putting  it  in  the  baggage  car 
yourself.  There  are  no  "checks"  for  baggage 
in  Europe,  but  you  can  register  it  at  a  small 
expense  and  the  register  amounts  to  much  the 
same  thing. 

I  presume  that  I  needn't  tell  anyone  that  it 
would  be  the  height  of  folly  to  attempt  a  Euro- 
pean tour  without  a  brake;  they  are  useful, 
particularly  in  cities  like  Paris,  where  one 
finds  the  most  careless  drivers  in  the  world,  to 
aid  you  in  stopping  quickly  on  the  crowded 
boulevards  as  well  as  on  many  of  the  hills  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Paris,  to  say  nothing  of 
being  absolutely  necessary  when  touring  in 
Switzerland.  Taking  a  coast  down  a  mountain 
of  say  some  forty  miles  with  nothing  but  your 
shoe  for  a  brake  would  doubtless  prove  very 
bad  for  the  shoe — but  probably  if  you  made 
such  an  attempt  with  no  other  precaution  pro- 
vided you  would  find  yourself  where  you 
wouldn't  have  any  need  for  shoes  or  bicycles 
either.  Some  cyclists  say  that  they  have  been 
greatly  aided  in  descending  steep  and  long  de- 
clivities by  attaching  a  fir  tree  to  their  saddle 

26 


by  means  of  a  rope  eight  or  ten  feet  long.  I 
never  saw  this  tried,  but  I  have  seen  two  deli- 
cate women  ride  down  the  Grimsel  and  the 
Simplon  Passes  with  no  other  aid  in  holding 
back  their  machines  than  that  which  they  were 
able  to  get  from  back  pedalling  and  the  judi- 
cious use  of  the  brake.  One  source  of  much 
trouble  to  cyclists  in  Europe,  particularly  in  the 
rural  districts  are  the  hob  nails  which  drop 
out  of  the  peasants'  shoes.  These  nails  always 
insist  on  standing  on  their  heads,  and  being 
sharp  and  oftentimes  two  inches  long,  they 
have  no  difficulty  in  giving  a  pneumatic  tire 
nervous  prostration. 

To  lessen  the  chances  of  picking  up  tacks  or 
even  bits  of  glass,  some  French  riders  use  a 
very  simple  little  device.  They  attach  a  little 
wire  across  the  fork  where  the  wheel  turns 
about  a  sixteenth  of  an  inch  from  the  tire. 
Their  argument  is  that  the  tack  does  not  punc- 
ture the  rubber  when  the  wheel  first  touches  it, 
but  merely  picks  it  up  so  that  on  the  first  half 
revolution  of  the  wheel  after  it  has  touched  a 
tack  or  bit  of  glass,  the  object  comes  against 
this  wire  and  is  knocked  off  the  tire  before  it 
touches  the  ground  again.  Those  who  have 
tried  this  device  say  they  have  never  had  a 
puncture  since  they  fastened  the  wire  just 
above  both  wheels.  It  certainly  will  cost  no 
wheelman  anything  to  try  it. 


27 


CHAPTER    III. 


From  Havre  to  Paris. 

ET  us  now  suppose  that  you  have 
arrived  at  Havre  or  some  other 
point  on  that  part  of  the  French 
coast,  and  have  gotten  by  the  cus- 
tom house  officials,  either  with 
your  French  Touring  card,  or  that  of  the  Eng- 
lish organization,  or,  lacliing  either  of  these, 
have  paid  duty,  or  have  persuaded  the  inspector 
that  you  are  a  bona  fide  tourist,  with  the  re- 
sult that  you  are  not  obliged  to  make  the  usual 
deposit. 

Once  off  the  steamer,  the  first  impulse  of  the 
eager  cyclist  is  to  mount  his  wheel,  and  having 
seen  that  his  cyclometer  is  in  order,  set  off 
for  Paris.  I  should,  however,  hardly  advise  all 
tourists,  unless  limited  to  a  very  brief  stay  in 
France,  to  do  this.  At  the  moment,  you  very 
likely  find  yourself  unprovided  with  the  proper 
maps,  and  immediately  after  the  voyage  you  are 
not  in  a  condition  to  get  the  full  enjoyment  out 
of  the  bicycle  or  anything  else.  On  the  other 
hand,  Paris  is  only  five  hours  away  by  rail  and 


the  ticket  costs  less  than  $5.  Still,  if  you  want 
to  ride  through  one  of  the  prettiest  parts  of  the 
country,  and  can  let  Paris  wait,  there  is  noth- 
ing to  prevent  your  setting  out  on  your  journey 
at  once.  It  is  an  easy  matter  to  ship  your  bag- 
gage by  train  to  the  Gare  St.  Lazare  at  Paris, 
where  you  will  find  it  awaiting  your  arrival  in 
the  Consigne,  and  there  you  will  have  to  open 
it  for  the  Octroi  or  City  Customs  officials.  Bag- 
gage in  Europe  doesn't  go  free  as  it  does  in 
this  country,  even  if  you  accompany  it  your- 
self. Sixty  pounds  is  the  limit  one  is  allowed 
in  Europe  on  a  single  ticket,  and  where  one 
sends  baggage  ahead,  there  is  no  reasonable 
system  of  transportation  similar  to  our  express 
companies  in  America.  For  instance,  one  can 
send  a  trunk  from  Boston  to  New  York  for 
forty-five  cents.  But  for  the  same  distance  in 
Europe  you  would  pay  six  or  seven  cents  a 
pound  on  the  grande  vitesse  or  express  train. 
If  you  send  the  baggage  by  the  petite  vitesse. 
or  freight  train,  from  almost  any  given  point  in 
Europe  to  another,  it  costs  about  half  as  much 
as  ])y  the  express,  but  you  must  count  on  a 
wait  anywhere  from  a  week  to  ten  days  for  a 
distance  say  of  three  hundred  miles. 

The  writer  recalls,  in  his  own  case,  that 
on  leaving  Milan,  Italy,  for  Nice  by  the  way  of 
Genoa  and  Ventimiglia  he  sent  his  trunks, 
weighing  sixty  pounds,  to  Nice  with  the  stipu- 
lation that  they  should  bo  ])ut  on  the  express 
train  only.    The  charge  anujunted  to  more  than 

29 


$5  and  riding  to  Nice  on  his  bicycle  he  got 
there  two  days  ahead  of  his  trunks.  Therefore 
it  is  apparent  that  one  wants  to  get  along  with 
is  little  baggage  as  possible.  In  fact,  the  ordi- 
nary mistake  that  one  makes  in  setting  out  on 
such  a  trip  is  to  take  too  much.  It  is  astonish- 
ing how  much  one  can  take  on  the  bicycle,  and 
the  expense  of  sending  on  your  baggage  is 
greatly  lessened  if  you  carry  enough  on  your 
wheel  so  as  to  be  obliged  to  connect  with  your 
trunks  only  about  once  in  ten  days.  All  the 
necessities  of  the  toilet,  reading  and  writing 
materials,  changes  of  underclothing  and  a  rub- 
ber cape  can  be  carried  on  the  frame  of  your 
bicycle  without  materially  increasing  the  dif- 
ficulty of  its  propulsion,  if  the  weight  is  care- 
fully distributed. 

Personally,  I  have  never  had  the  patience, 
after  arriving  on  French  soil,  to  submit  to  the 
delay  of  getting  to  the  most  seductive  city  on 
earth  except  by  the  most  rapid  means  of  loco- 
motion which  presented  itself.  I  have  made 
tours  in  Normandy  and  Brittany,  but  have  al- 
.'ays  taken  Paris  as  the  basis  of  operations. 

However,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who,  after 
landing,  decide  to  go  to  Paris  on  their  wheels, 
I  append  the  following  bits  of  a  description  of 
such  a  trip  from  the  pen  of  Arthur  K.  Peck, 
who  took  it  himself  in  the  summer  of  1897, 
and  embodied  his  impressions  in  one  of  a  series 
of  letters  to  the  Boston  Sunday  Herald.  Mr. 
Peck  says: 

30 


My  journey  awheel  commenced  at  the  Port 
of  Havre,  France,  and  my  first  day's  journey 
was  inward  througu  a  pleasing  section  of  Nor- 
mandy. Packed  in  the  little  case  in  the  frame 
of  my  machine,  and  strapped  on  the  carrier  of 
the  handle  bar  was  all  my  luggage,  which  in- 
cluded a  rubber  suit  for  protection  from  the 
rain,  various  duplicate  parts  of  a  wheel  for  use 
in  case  of  a  breakage,  and  a  repair  kit  and  tools 
for  tire  mending  in  case  of  puncture.  Across 
my  back  I  slung  a  small  camera,  with  the  ex- 
pectation of  bringing  back  to  America  with  me 
wayside  photographs,  stray  shots  of  pictur- 
esque little  nooks,  odd  scenes,  the  people,  their 
homes — views  which  are  not  to  be  purchased. 

Before  starting,  I  made  a  most  minute  inspec- 
tion of  all  parts  of  my  bicycle,  trying  every 
bolt  and  adjustment,  for,  while  it  is  true  that 
the  prominent  American  manufacturers  have 
agents  in  foreign  cities,  and  they  are  supposed 
to  be  well  supplied  with  duplicate  parts,  not 
infrequently  they  are  "just  out  of  that  particu- 
lar part."  It  behooves  one,  therefore,  to  exer- 
cise a  close  guardianship  over  one's  bicycle 
from  the  moment  of  arrival  in  Europe. 

Havre,  according  to  the  guide  book,  has  little 
to  interest  the  traveler,  and  so,  after  a  short 
ramble  about  the  city,  I  wheeled  along  toward 
Graville,  a  small  suburb  of  Havre,  and  one  of 
the  chain  of  towns  through  which  I  must  pass 
en  route  to  Rouen. 

Continuing  my  journey,  I  soon  found  myself 

31 


on  a  fine  stretch  of  road,  which  brought  me  into 
the  agricultural  district,  with  its  green  pastures 
and  verdant  hills.  Here  whole  fields  of  grain 
were  dotted  with  bright  flowers  of  variegated 
hues.  The  abundance  of  wild  flowers  to  be  seer 
at  certain  stages  of  the  journey  added  much 
to  the  picturesqueness  of  the  scenes.  I  passed 
through  the  dead  little  seaport  town  of  Hon- 
fleur,  distinguished  from  the  fact  that  about  six 
centuries  ago  Henry  V.  of  England  took  it  and 
later  some  of  his  successors  returned  it.  Havre 
has  long  since  taken  away  its  trade  as  a  sea- 
port. 

Ten  miles  out  I  made  my  first  inquiry,  asking 
three  natives  of  St.  Romain  the  way  to  the 
next  town,  La  Remuee.  Not  one  of  them 
seemed  to  know.  My  persistency  was  reward- 
ed, however,  when  I  asked  the  route  to  Lille- 
bonne,  which  one  of  them  seemed  to  know, 
though  it  was  twelve  miles  away. 

There  was  a  most  exhilarating  coast  of  a 
mile  or  more  down  into  this  town.  On  one  of 
the  surrounding  heights  could  be  seen  looming 
up  above  the  trees  the  gray  tower  of  the  ruined 
castle  where  William  the  Conqueror,  one  thou- 
sand years  ago,  extended  a  cordial  invitation 
to  the  nobles  to  visit  old  England  and  increase 
their  real  estate  holdings,  which  invitation  we 
are  advised  on  good  authority  was  accepted. 

As  I  entered  the  town  from  one  side  a  regi- 
ment of  infantry  marched  in  from  the  other 
In  advance  came  a  French  officer  scorching  in 

32 


on  a  bicycle.  All  about  the  place  on  the  ground 
were  little  heaps  of  refreshments  of  bread,  rare 
meat,  etc.,  contributions  for  the  tired  men  of 
the  invading  host.  I  did  want  to  take  a  picture 
of  the  scene,  but  with  a  discretion  born  of  pre- 
vious experience,  and  accing  under  advice  writ- 
ten in  my  little  book  of  "don'ts,"  saying,  "don't 
take  pictures  of  anything  military  and  thus 
avoid  unpleasant  consequences,"  I  hunted  up  a 
place  to  have  my  noon  lunch  and  had  what  a 
Frenchman  calls  his  breakfast. 

Continuing  on  my  jotirney,  I  tried  for  a  few 
days  the  experience  of  travelling  without  maps, 
but  found  it  unsatisfactory,  and  the  guide  post 
system  of  Brittany  not  so  excellent  as  that  of 
Normandy.  I  found  Brittany  quite  hilly  as  a 
whole,  more  so  than  Normandy.  At  times  on 
the  journey  toward  Paris  I  would  come  to  a 
long  level  plain  and  would  ride  for  miles  on  a 
straight,  level  road,  as  was  the  ease  when  en- 
tering Chartres.  In  one  case  only  did  I  lose 
my  course,  and  that  was  due  to  accepting  the 
advice  of  a  peasant  seated  at  a  cross  road.  I 
believe  I  was  directed  to  Noce  instead  of  No- 
gent.  I  succeeded,  however,  after  going  four 
miles  out  of  the  way,  in  finding  the  main  high- 
way and  righted  myself.  I  was  in  no  amiable 
frame  of  mind  at  the  mishap,  particularly  as 
the  roads  were  hilly  and  the  weather  was  hot. 

At  Charties  there  was  a  magnificent  cathedral 
to  see,  and  then,  by  a  long  day's  journey,  I 
counted  on  reaching  Paris.     Eighty  miles  from 

33 


the  capital  1  saw  the  first  guide  post  bearing 
the  word  Paris,  and  from  there  on  I  found  my- 
self watching  the  kilometre  posts,  and  uncon- 
sciously translating  into  miles  each  distance 
marked.  I  passed  through  the  town  of  Main- 
tenon,  and  dismounted  to  view  the  old  chateau 
of  Madame  de  Maintenon.  Not  far  distant  I 
reached  a  little  town,  which  in  appearance 
seemed  to  me  to  approach  the  neai-est  to  a  de- 
serted village  I  had  ever  seen  in  all  my  wan- 
ierings.  As  I  jogged  along  over  the  rough 
stone  pavements  through  the  main  and  only 
street  of  the  town,  looking  right  and  left  for 
some  signs  of  life,  I  wondered  whether  this 
dead  town  was  the  Chelsea  or  Pompeii  of 
France.  There  were  no  children  playing  in  the 
street,  every  door  was  closed,  and  shutters  were 
up  at  all  the  windows.  Even  a  store,  which 
had  over  the  door  the  word  "Novelties," 
seemed  to  have  given  up  its  business,  for  the 
shutters  there,  too,  were  up. 

During  the  first  few  days  of  my  journey  in 
Normandy  my  ideas  of  the  topography  of  the 
country  underwent  quite  a  change.  I  had  ex- 
pected to  see  a  country  not  unlike  Cape  Ann 
and  the  North  shore,  and  to  encounter  a  suc- 
cession of  steep  hills.  Instead,  I  found  about 
two  steep  hills  a  day,  and  long,  level  stretches 
between.  The  fact  that  my  first  day  in  France, 
heavily  laden  as  the  bicycle  was  with  my  bag- 
gage, I  had  covered  sixty-two  miles,  from 
Havre  to  Rouen;  had  seen  the  points  of  interest 

U 


and  made  a  side  trip  to  the  ruins  of  an  old 
abbey  of  the  seventh  century  at  Jumieges, 
shows  quite  clearly  the  topographical  condi- 
tions. As  for  the  roads,  no  adjective  is  good 
enough  to  describe  their  excellence.  It  is  no 
exaggeration  to  compare  them  to  our  park 
roads  in  quality,  though  not  of  course,  posses- 
sing the  great  breadth. 

Though  following  the  Seine,  generally  speak- 
ing, I  caught  only  an  occasional  glimpse  of  the 
river,  once  at  the  quaint  old  town  of  Caudebec, 
again  at  Jumieges,  where  the  banks  of  the  river 
suggest  portions  of  the  Hudson,  and  at  Du- 
claire. 

The  clocks  were  striking  six  when  I  caught 
my  first  glimpse  of  Rouen  in  the  valley  below. 
"Dangerous  hill,  look  out,"  said  the  signboard 
of  the  Tourist  Club  de  France,  and  so  with 
brake  well  in  hand,  down  the  hill  I  coasted  and 
dashed  into  the  streets  of  the  city  of  Rouen. 

I  passed  through  Rambouillet,  and  saw  the 
park  and  forest.  It  was  here  Francis  I.  died 
at  his  chateau.  As  I  was  proceeding  on  my 
way  I  met  a  young  man  on  his  wheel  riding  in 
the  opposite  direction  to  which  I  was  going. 
He  turned  about  and  we  rode  to  Paris  together. 
He  knew  some  English,  and  when  he  could  not 
find  the  exact  word  necessary  he  invariably 
fell  back  on  the  expression  "all  right."  We 
passed  over  an  extremely  hilly  district,  going 
to  Versailles,  but  the  surroundings  were  beau- 
tiful.    I  left  the  palace  and  the  gardens  of  Ver- 

35 


sailles  as  a  part  of  my  Paris  programme,  aud 
proceeded  without  delay  over  the  main  road  to 
St.  Cloud,  and  from  there  through  the  Bois  de 
Boulogne  to  Paris. 

It  is  of  course  an  essential  feature,  and  in 
fact  a  necessity,  in  touring  that  the  cycler  be 
well  equipped  with  the  best  of  maps.  The  geo- 
graphical knowledge  of  the  peasant  is  quite 
elementary,  and  generally  speaking,  the  most 
distant  point  with  which  he  has  any  acquaint- 
ance is  the  adjoining  village.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances, unless  the  tourist  has  familiarized 
himself  with  the  names  of  intervening  towns, 
all  his  queries  will  be  to  the  villagers  as  com- 
plex conundrums. 

The  foreign  maps  are  works  of  art  and  ency- 
clopedias of  information.  Aside  from  the  maps 
for  military  purposes,  there  are  special  maps 
for  cycling  equally  as  elaborate,  showing  the 
great  highways,  and  distinguishing  them  from 
the  ordinary  routes,  giving  the  distances  in 
kilometres,  between  towns,  and  in  the  moun- 
tainous regions  the  elevations  and  distinctive 
signs  mark  the  location  of  places  of  interest — 
chateaux,  ruins,  convents,  glaciers,  beautiful 
points  of  view,  etc. 

Supplementary  to  the  accessories  of  travel 
above  mentioned,  the  standard  guide  books  en- 
able one  to  get  a  very  comprehensive  knowl- 
edge of  the  interesting  places  to  be  seen  in 
every  town  and  of  the  towns  themselves. 

In  reviewing  the  trip,  I  can  speak  only  in  the 

.36 


highest  terms  of  the  treatment  received  at  the 
places  where  I  stopped.  Everywhere  I  received 
the  most  courteous  acquiescence  to  my  requests 
to  be  directed  on  my  journey.  I  found  the  food 
excellent  and  the  roads  perfection.  The  scenery 
at  times  was  charming,  at  times  beautiful  and 
picturesque.  I  had  slept  in  country  inns,  and 
listened  to  the  church  bell  chimes  of  Normandy 
ringing  out  the  quarter  hour,  or  perhaps  the 
curfew  note — bells  whose  very  tone  told  of  old 
age,  and  churches  whose  moss-covered,  gray 
walls  had  been  standing  for  centuries.  I  had 
wandered  through  ruined  abbeys,  castles  and 
palaces.  I  entered  towns  bristling  with  fortifi- 
cations, the  scenes  of  wars  and  siege  and  battle 
with  English  monarchs.  I  saw  the  home  and 
final  resting  place  of  the  Norman  ruler  who 
made  whole  chapters  of  early  English  history 
a  record  of  his  triumphs. 

Such  are  the  pleasant  experiences  Mr.   Peck 
records  of  the  ride  from  Havre  to  Paris. 


J57 


CHAPTER    IV. 


"In  Gay  Paree." 


HETHER  it  was  done  by  rail,  or 
whether  you  rode  in  on  your 
wheel,  I  am  going  to  take  it  for 
granted  that  you  made  the  journey 
from  where  you  left  your  steamer 
and  arrived  in  Paris  with  all  the  cyclist's  ca- 
pacity of  enjoyment  of  the  material  things  of 
this  life.  Whether  you  send  your  baggage 
ahead,  or  whether  it  comes  on  the  train  with 
you,  you  will  expeiience  very  little  trouble  with 
the  Octroi  authorities  at  the  Gare  St.  Lazare. 
The  chances  are  they  will  make  only  a  very 
cursory  examination,  but  it  is  well  to  be  care- 
ful not  to  have  any  matches,  tobacco  or  wine 
with  you. 

Of  course,  on  arriving  in  the  city  for  which 
Napoleon  the  Little  did  so  much  in  spite  of  the 
ill  he  wrought  for  the  rest  of  France,  the  ques- 
tion of  where  to  go  is  the  most  important  one 
that  confronts  you.  On  this  subject  I  can  only 
say  that  Paris,  perhaps  more  than  any  other 
place  in  the  world,   can   furnish   hotels  of  any 

38 


kind  suited  to  the  purse  of  any  one.  It  is  at  once 
the  dearest  and  cheapest  city  of  modern  times. 
If  you  have  no  friends  in  Paris  and  have  made 
no  previous  arrangement,  any  hotel  will  do  for 
the  first  twenty-four  hours.  The  largest  and 
best  known  for  such  a  transient  stay  are  the 
Grand,  the  Terminus  and  the  Continental. 
They  all  have  the  advantage  of  being  easily 
pronounced,  too.  I  know  an  American  who  pre- 
fers the  Hotel  de  France  et  Choiseul  to  any 
hotel  in  Paris,  but  he  can't  stay  there,  because 
he  can't  pronounce  the  name  when  he  wants  to 
take  a  cab.  The  Chatham  in  the  Rue  d'  Aunou 
and  the  St.  Petersburg  in  the  Rue  Caumartin 
are  also  central,  and  in  fact  there  are  myriads 
of  hotels  that  one  can  go  to  for  a  short  stay 
while  getting  settled.  In  any  of  these  hotels 
two  persons  can  have  a  good  room  from  $2  to 
$2.50  a  day  which  includes  electric  lights  and 
service,  and  you  are  free  to  take  your  meals 
where  you  like.  You  will  find  excellent  English 
and  American  cooking  and  English  spoken  at 
'Fred's"  in  the  Rue  Caumartin,  near  the  corner 
of  the  Rue  Auber,  and  at  Pulaski's  at  No.  404 
Rue  St.  Honore.  Pulaski  also  imports  Ameri- 
can oysters.  As  for  table  d'hote  at  prices  rang- 
ing from  thirty,  fifty  and  sixty  cents  up  to  a 
dollar,  their  name  is  legion.  I  insert  the  menu 
of  one  of  them  in  order  to  give  you  an  idea  of 
what  these  places  furnish,  though  1  b(>lieve  the 
particular  restaui-ant  montioncMl  here  exists  no 
longer. 

39 


t-^^'^^ 


■^xivA 


Talsle-d'Hate 


i^Ci^jj 


57    Chauss6e-d'AntiD  (a  I'En'iresol] 


eg 


\\M  l!ST  llEPRIS  mil   -10°  U  E(;UA\GE  D'.llTHE  VJN 
Les  Plats  an  Oralrn  xe  commandent  d'avance 


•Pelil  Macon  80'^  .   IV"   remplaeanl   Mi  IV"  30    de  SupplomeiU 


■Menu    <iu 


•\i 


IkMihi/^ 


m 


C        vjjpW-cl'  i9 


"^  oiMcmAv  Ai 


A|  1  '  J 


^^-'^^^t^wtc^e^ 


'.^cyiS^ 


^MKMvlS^ 


These  places  are  all  well  lighted  and  served 
by  waiters  iu  evening  dress.  The  largest  one 
at  present  where  a  menu  of  astonishing  variety 
is  given,  is  in  the  Place  de  la  Trinite  at  the 
corner  of  la  Rue  Blanche.  Here  the  dinner  with 
wine  is  only  thirty  cents  if  you  are  looking  for 
that  sort  of  thing.  The  Place  de  la  Trinite  is 
directly  back  of  the  Opera,  and  is  reached  by 
passing  through  the  Rue  de  la  Chaussee  d'Antin. 
For  breakfast  one  of  the  Duval  establishments 
will  be  found  very  satisfactory,  as  the  menu  is 
varied  and  the  prices  are  cheap,  though  the 
portions  are  small.  Anyone  will  direct  you  to 
the  Duval  establishment  nearest  to  the  place 
where  you  happen  to  be  staying.  I  give  here  a 
Duval  menu  which  will  give  you  an  idea  of  the 
variety  and  the  prices,  and  it  may  also  prove 
both  amusing  and  profitable  foi-  the  reader  who 
is  not  over  conversant  with  the  French  to  get 
out  his  dictionary  and  see  if  he  can  puzzle  out 
a  breakfast  order. 

In  summer  the  table  d'hotes  in  the  Champs 
Elysees,  along  the  Avenue  de  la  Grande  Armee 
and  at  the  Touring  Club  and  the  Chalet  du 
Cycle  in  the  Bois  du  Boulogne  are  always  at 
tractive,  being  enlivened  Ijy  mu.sic  and  rendered 
dazzling  by  myriads  of  multi-colored  lights. 

However,  if  economy  is  the  order  of  the  day, 
the  morning  after  your  arrival  you  will  do  well 
to  invest  three  cents  in  a  copy  of  the  European 
edition  of  the  New  York  Herald,  in  the  columns 
of  wliich  you  will  find  plenty  of  advertisers  who 

41 


o 

o 

■ 

T 


»Oun   Its  v/INS  &  llOUtURS  VOIR  AU  DOS   ^-^= 


=?^' 

.> 


l../(r.<(,-  w„ 


^U*rv<     "«;-y<. 


M^/ZfYif: 


1 


*flt^i,-J  t*.   1% 


*  0 


J" 

7" 

S" 
so 
5° 

io 
ko 
6  « 
6  0 


0 
0 

->' 

7" 

i  o 


C^/?M^-0 


5'^, 


=  CAf  C  seur  0  30  _  i»/cc  COCNao  oj  rkum  0   40 


J-t 


The  prices  are  marked  in  centimes,  five  centimes  making  a  cent. 


take  boarders   at  from   five  to  seven   francs   a 
day,  and  even  less  by  the  month.     That  is  to 
say.  $1.40  a  day  will  cover  all  your  living  ex- 
penses.    If  you  are  going  to  make  a  protracted 
stay   in   Paris,    suitable   rooms   can    be   had   on 
either  side  of  the  Seine  for  from  forty  francs, 
or  $8  a  month  up.     You  will  have  little  trouble 
in  Paris  in  keeping  your  bicycle  near  you,  and 
when  you  are  on  the  street,  the  nearer  you  keep 
it  to  you  the  better.     Most  of  the  hotels  have 
some  arrangement  for  bicycles,  and  if  you  are 
in  a  private  family  or  have  rooms  high  up  any- 
where you  will  never  find  any  difficulty  in  lo- 
cating a  man  in  the  vicinity  who  makes  a  busi- 
ness of  taking  care  of  your  wheel  for  six  cents 
a  day  or  $2  a  month.     When  I  lived  in  a  hotel 
where  there  was  no  place  downstairs  for  keep- 
ing a  wheel,  I  found  the  valet  de  chambre  only 
too  willing  to  take  my  wheel  up  to  my  room. 
For  taking  two  wheels  up  and   bringing  them 
down  again  he  was  amply  repaid  with  ten  cents, 
which  made  it  a  good  deal  cheaper  than  leaving 
a  wheel  en  garage,  as  the  French  call  it,  outside. 
The  advantage  of  this  system  is  that  you  only 
pay  for  your  wheel  days  when   you   use   it  in- 
stead of  every  day  when  you  leave  it  en  garage, 
and  you  also  have  it  where  you  can  look  after 
it  yourself  if  you  care  to. 

In  I'iding  in  Paris  you  must  be  careful  to 
light  your  lamps  or  carry  a  Chinese  lantern  in 
your  hand  as  darkness  comes  on;  also  have  a 
clear-voiced  bell,  which  the  police  edict  says  must 
be  loud  enough  to  be  heard  at  least  fifty  yards. 

V, 


If  you  get  caught  after  dark  without  a  lamp 
you  can  get  a  Chinese  lantern  at  either  a  gro- 
cery store  or  a  cigar  store.  A  cigar  store  is  in- 
dicated by  a  red  light,  and  it  is  here  also  that 
you  have  to  l)uy  your  stamps.  If  you  can't 
find  a  cigar  store  or  Bureau  de  Tabac,  just  ask 
anybody  for  the  nearest  epicerie.  Don't  be 
alarmed,  it  is  only  a  grocery  store.  The  lan- 
terns are  called  lampions,  and  the  price,  to- 
gether with  the  candle,  varies  from  four  to  six 
cents,  and  depends  generally  on  the  dimensions 
of  your  accent. 

If  you  are  going  to  make  a  business  of  riding 
while  you  are  in  Paris,  it  is  well  to  live  in  the 
Champs  Elysees  quarter,  or  on  the  Avenue  de 
la  Grande  Armee  itself;  but  if  ycu  do  live  down- 
town, in  going  to  the  Bois  you  will  find  it  bet- 
ter to  go  up  the  Boulevard  Haussmann  or  up 
the  Champs  Elysees.  There  is  a  car  track,  but 
less  traffic  on  the  Boulevard  Haussmann  and 
the  wooden  pavement  furnishes  excellent  wheel- 
ing. But  if  you  do  decide  to  go  up  the  Champs 
Elysees,  don't  follow  the  Boulevard  de  Ca- 
pucines  to  the  Rue  Royale.  but  turn  off  to  your 
left  at  the  Rue  Cambon,  which  has  an  asphalted 
pavement,  and  where  there  are  very  few  car- 
riages. 

The  Rue  Cambon  will  take  you  to  the  Rue  de 
Rivoli,  where  it  is  only  a  step  to  the  Place  de 
la  Concorde,  and  then  there  is  a  straight-away 
ride  up  to  the  Arc  de  Triomphe.  The  other  side 
of  the  Place  de  I'Arc  de  Triomphe,  the  Avenue  la 

44 


Grande  Armee  begins  with  its  special  path  re- 
served for  cyclists.     At  the  foot  of  this  path  is 
the  well-known  Cafe  des  Sports.    In  stopping  at 
these  cafes,  never  leave  your  wheel  against  the 
curb  or  any  neighboring  tree.     This  is  against 
the  police  regulations,  and   is  also  dangerous, 
as  you  are  apt  to  lose  your  wheel  if  you  take 
your  eyes  off  of  it  for  a  moment.     But  at  all 
cafes,  nowadays,  accommodations  are  furnished 
for  cyclists;    but  never  give  your  wheel  up  to 
the  commissaire  without  getting  a  ticket.     An 
Englishman  gave  his  wheel  to  the  commissaire 
of  the  Criterion  Cafe,  in  front  of  the  Hotel  Ter- 
minus, while  he  went  in  for  dinner,  and  when 
he  came  out  the  wheel  was  gone.     The  proprie- 
tor refused  to  be  responsible  on  the  ground  that 
the  gentleman  had  not  taken  a  ticket  from  his 
employe.     In  most  of  the  cafes  in  the  Hois,  and 
nearly  everywhere  you  ride,  you  will  find  Pos- 
tes  de  Secours.  where  the  injured  can  be  looked 
after  without  delay.     At  many  cafes  are  woi'k- 
men  with  kits  of  tools  sufficiently  complete  to 
mend   anything   except   the   ways   of   theii-   jia- 
trons.     Nearly  all   these  cafes  have  orchestras, 
and  one  can  pass  an  hour  or  even  more  most 
entertainingly    in    watching   the    ever-changing 
stream  of  cycling   hunumity  as   it  cl)bs   in   and 
out  with  everything  new  and  oibl  in  the  way  of 
costumes  that  one  can   imagine,  and  some  that 
one  never  wcjubl   have  imagined. 

In   Paris,    a    Frenchman    always    regards   any 
woman  who  i-ides  a   bicycif  in  a   skii-f  eitlier  as 

4.") 


•  :l  .^ 


"now  ARK  vor,  vankke?" 


an  American  or  as  an  English  girl,  and  she  is 
apt  to  be  greeted,  as  she  flits  by,  witli  such,  ex- 
pressions as  "Oh.  yes,"  "I  spealv  English," 
"You  are  a  jolie  mees,"  and  if  he  can't  go  as 
far  as  that,  he  is  quite  certain  to  greet  you  with 
"All  riglit."  It  is  a  fact,  liowever,  that  some 
French  women  prefer  a  skirt  to  the  oftentimes 
liideous  bloomers.  Once,  when  I  was  coming 
back  with  a  party  through  the  Bois,  one  of  the 
riders,  who  happened  to  be  a  most  demure 
young  French  woman,  was  accosted  by  an  im- 
possible young  French  person  of  the  rhemical 
blonde  type  with  "How  are  you.  Yankee?"  The 
lady  addressed  was  unable  to  resist  making  a 
few  comments  in  her  native  tongue,  and  she 
of  the  culotte  was  so  astonished  to  find  out  that 
she  of  the  skirt  was  a  compatriot  that  she 
promptly  fell  off  her  wheel — much  to  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  crowd  who  had  been  watching  her 
antics. 


47 


CHAPTER    V. 


^ 


Encore  *'Paree/ 


SIDE  from  the  idiot  wlio  will  call  out 
to  you,  "Yes,  mees,"  and  "All  right," 
just  because  he  wants  to  air  his  Eng- 
lish, there  is  another  pest  who  occa- 
sionally annoys  ladies  riding  alone, 
no  matter  how  carefully  they  have  tried  to  choose 
an  hour  for  their  outing,  when  the  Bois  ought 
to  be  tolerably  unfrequented.  Still,  this  indi- 
vidual is  more  obnoxious  than  dangerous.  The 
French  "masher"  will  ogle  and  will  sometimes 
say  a  few  things  that  will  make  an  English  or 
an  American  girl  wish  she  were  a  man  for  a 
few  moments,  but  that's  as  far  as  he  will  go. 
From  what  I  have  seen  of  the  type,  I  think  he 
is  more  to  be  despised  than  feared,  and  should 
say  that  any  self-respecting  woman  can  nde  in 
Paris  without  being  subjected  to  a  greater 
chance  of  annoyance  than  she  would  be  at  home. 
Naturally,  she  will  ignore  any  remarks  ad- 
dressed to  her  directly  and  affect  the  role  of  a 
deaf  mute  when  things  are  said  not  directly  at 

48 


her.  but  meant  for  her  all  the  same.  Then 
again,  she  should  not  be  disturbed  at  any 
"oddities"  of  costume.  There  is  a  censor  who 
supervises  such  things  in  Paris  and  the  police 
carry  out  his  orders  carefully.  She  may  see 
things  that  will  be  so  out  of  joint  with  her  ideas 
of  the  beautiful  as  to  cause  an  involuntary  gasp 
and  an  exclamation.  "Oh.  how  horrid!"  "How 
can  she!"  but  nothing  more.  For  instance,  "la 
culotte"  (bloomers  or  tights  would  be  our  Eng- 
lish word  for  it.  depending  on  the  cut  of  the 
particular  culotte  in  question)  isn't  really 
shocking.  Any  old  liallet  girl  in  America  pre- 
sents herself  in  public  in  a  costume  which 
wouldn't  be  permitted  even  to  a  Parisian  cyclist, 
without  keeping  an  American  .girl  away  from 
the  theatre.  Still,  you  will  see  things  of  strange 
and  uncanny  character.  For  instance,  some  of 
the  French  young  women  who  cycle  have  con- 
ceived the  idea  that  it  is  the  proper  thing  to 
wear  socks.  I  say  socks  advisedly,  for  that  is 
exactly  what  they  are.  They  are  cut  like  those 
of  the  male  biped,  only  more  on  the  Harlem  flat 
plan;  that  is  to  say.  they  are  smaller.  They 
come  up  a  little  above  the  tops  of  the  hi.gh  laced 
shoe  worn  by  the  French  rider  and  leave  the 
rest  of  her  leg  bare  to  the  knee.  All  classes  of 
society  in  France  wear  the  culotte,  bill  those 
who  ride  the  bicycle  bare  legged,  it  is  fair  to 
say,  are  not  received  at  the  Elysee. 

Of  these  young  women,  let  it  be  said  to  their 
credit — and   it's   very   diflTicult   for  them    to   get 

49 


<s^ 


f*~   ^1*-1  <^|<-/ ;— . ■ 


MEMBERS   OF   THK    HAK  IM.iaiGKD   CC)NTINGENT. 


credit — that  they  never  say  anything  which 
their  foreign  or  more  proper  sisters  cannot 
hear,  nor  do  they  insult  them  by  word  or  look. 
Of  course,  the  visitor  may  hear  things  that  may 
be  a  little  outre,  but  one  will  have  to  live  so 
long  in  Paris  to  understand  their  "argot"  or 
slang  that  one  would  be  so  old  that  it  wouldn't 
make  much  difference  what  anybody  said. 

Besides  the  individual  of  the  "masher" 
type,  there  used  to  be  another  character 
who  did  business  in  the  Bois.  The  last  I 
knew  the  police  were  looking  out  for  him 
and  he  may  exist  no  more,  but  this  is  the 
adventure  that  one  American  girl  had  with 
him:  She  had  taken  an  early  morning  ride 
through  the  Bois  and  was  returning  through  a 
path  reserved  for  cyclists  when  a  respectable 
looking  man  bowed  to  her  politely  and  apolo- 
getically informed  her  that  her  tire  was  de- 
flated. She  looked  down  at  her  hind  tire  and 
saw  that  it  was.  The  man,  who  was  in  cycling 
costume,  politely  offered  to  blow  it  up  for  her. 
Of  course  she  very  naturally  suspected  nothing, 
and  when  the  man  had  finished  pumping  in  the 
air  he  put  on  the  cap,  and  rising  to  his  feet, 
said:  "I  think  that'll  do,  I'll  just  see."  Where- 
upon he  jumped  lightly  into  the  saddle  and  rode 
off,  and  it  may  be  added  that  he  hasn't  got  back 
yet. 

The  wheel  was  a  new  Columbia  which  the 
young  woman  had  just  got  from  home,  and  as 
she  was  quite  as  tall  as  the  man  it  suited  him 

51 


perfectly.  It  was  afterwards  explained  to  her 
that  this  man  makes  a  business  of  this  particu- 
lar thing.  He  waits  patiently  till  he  sees  a 
woman  or  a  young  person  with  a  tire  that  needs 
blowing  up,  and  then  addresses  them  as  he  did 
in  this  case.  What  the  American  girl  said  at 
the  moment  doesn't  appear,  but  she  was  obliged 
to  take  a  carriage  home  after  reporting  her  case 
to  the  nearest  Poste  de  Police.  She  did  say  af- 
terwards that  what  made  her  maddest  about  it 
all  was  the  provoking  way  in  which  the  man 
looked  back  at  her  over  his  shoulder  and  called 
out  with  a  winning  smile,  "Oui,  c'est  bien 
gonfle."  "He  had  no  need  to  tell  me  that  it 
was  well  blown  up,"  she  said,  "I  could  see  that 
for  myself." 

At  the  restaurant  of  the  Touring  Club,  or 
Grossetetes,  at  the  entrance  of  the  Bois  as  one 
enters  it  from  the  foot  of  the  Avenue  de  la 
Grande  Armee,  one  always  finds  a  crowd  from 
noon  until  midnight  during  the  cycling  season. 
There  is  also  the  music  of  an  orchestra  as 
well  as  that  of  women's  voices  and  popping 
corks.  An  excellent  table  d'hote  dinner  is 
served  here  with  wine  and  coffee  for  four  francs 
or  eighty  cents. 

Not  much  further  along,  on  the  way  to  the 
Gate  of  Suresne,  you  will  notice  on  your  left  the 
sign  d'Harmenonville;  here  you  will  see  the 
swell  women  of  the  half  world,  the  Emilie 
d'Alencons  and  Liane  de  Pougys  of  Paris.  Of 
course,  at  home  the  cyclists  would  not  even  ad- 

.^2 


mit  the  existence  of  such  persons,  but  in 
Paris,  where  they  are  included  by  all  the  news- 
papers in  "those  present"  at  the  first  nights  of 
all  the  theatres,  alongside  of  the  names  of 
society  women,  it  is  just  as  well  to  admit  that 
they  are  very  much  in  evidence  in  this  gay 
capital. 


"our   C'KST    BIKS    CONFI.]C." 

Then  on  to  the  Chalet  du  Cycle,  past  the  club 
grounds  where  young  Parisians  of  sporting 
taste  play  tennis  and  polo,  to  the  Gate  at  Su- 
resne,  where  the  chalet  will  be  found  just  to  the 
left.     If  one  goes  through  the  gate  and  across 


the  bridge  one  finds  oneself  on  the  most  direct 
route  to  St.  Germain  and  Versailles.  But  let  us 
stop  at  the  chalet.  There  one  can  see  more 
queer  scenes  illustrative  of  the  Parisian  bicycle 
world  in  an  hour  than  in  any  other  one  given 
spot. 

As  elsewhere,  the  orchestra  plays  incessantly, 
only  pausing  long  enough  for  one  of  its  mem- 
bers to  pass  the  hat  from  time  to  time.  There 
is  no  table  d'hote  at  this  resort,  but  an  excellent 
dinner  a  la  carte  is  served  in  little  tents  in  the 
garden  or  in  the  casino  itself,  if  one  prefers. 
This  is  perhaps  the  most  popular  resort  for 
bicyclists  in  the  neighborhood  of  Pairs,  and 
on  the  last  Grand  Prix  Day  the  man  in  charge 
of  the  garage  told  me  that  he  gave  out  checks 
tor  12,000  bicycles  checked  there  by  patrons 
who  had  stopped  to  get  a  drink  and  look  at 
one  another. 

This  seems  an  enormous  number  of  bicycles 
for  one  cafe  to  look  after  in  one  day,  but  when 
you  consider  that  there  was  a  rushing  business 
from  early  morning  till  midnight  and  bicycles 
are  even  hung  up  in  the  trees  to  get  them  out 
of  the  way,  it  may  be  that  the  number  left  there 
was  not  exaggerated.  One  thing  that  will  strike 
the  Americans  here,  as  in  other  resorts,  will  be 
the  large  number  of  automobiles  of  all  sorts 
and  descriptions  which  will  come  through  the 
gates  without  causing  the  bicyclists  any  trepi- 
dation. In  fact,  so  many  of  these  are  used  in 
Paris  that  in  places  like  the  Chalet  du  Cycle 

54 


there  is  a  place  set  apart  for  them.  It"  possible, 
get  a  seat  immediately  in  front  of  the  gate, 
where  you  will  have  a  good  chance  to  size  up 
the  eccentric  costumes  which  are  sure  to  pre- 
sent themselves  in  a  never  changing  array; 
some  are  attractive  and  some  are  not;  some 
risque  to  a  degree,  while  others,  by  their  very 
demureness.  serve  the  wearer's  purpose  best; 
in  fact,  one  sees  exactly  what  one  might  ex- 
pect to  see  in  a  country  where  the  bride  and 
groom  sometimes  go  to  the  church  for  the  wed- 
ding ceremony  on  a  tandem,  the  groom  in  even- 
ing dress  and  the  bride  in  the  conventional 
gown  of  Wiiite  satin,  though  cut  a  trifle  shorter 
than  usual  and  all  the  wedding  party  also 
mounted  on  wheels. 

It  is  well  to  realize,  too,  that  if  you  find  your- 
selves interested  observers  of  the  French,  they 
are  equally  critical  of  the  foreigners,  and  for 
that  reason  it  is  always  as  well  to  make  oneself 
as  little  conspicuous  as  possible.  I  remember 
noticing  one  day  a  party  of  Americans  who 
were  evidently  in  charge  of  a  young  woman 
who  felt  her  responsibilities  very  much  because 
she  spoke  a  little  French.  She  caused  all  the 
French  people  present  a  great  deal  of  amuse- 
ment, and  her  compatriots,  who  happened  to 
notice  the  incident,  a  great  deal  of  embarrass- 
ment, by  the  way  in  wliich  she  insisted,  in  very 
bad  French,  that  the  waiter  should  take  away 
two  syphons  of  seltzer,  declaring  that  he  was 
trying  to  cheat   her,  as  the  one  that   tney   had 

55 


already  v/as  qiiite  enough.  As  no  charge  is 
made  for  seltzer  at  such  cafes,  and  a  sign.  "Bau 
de  Seltz,  gratuite,"  was  displayed  prominently 
on  most  all  the  trees,  the  assertiveness  of  the 
young  woman  was  all  the  more  ridiculous.  It 
was  simply  another  one  of  these  cases  where  a 
little  knowledge  is  a  dangerous  thing. 

After  you  have  become  familiar  with  the  Bois 
and  are  looking  for  change  of  scene,  perhaps 
it  will  occur  to  you  to  ride  over  to  the  Latin 
Quarter  for  a  brief  visit  to  the  Cafe  d'Harcourt 
and  other  similar  cafes  made  famous  by  the 
student  patronage  which  they  all  depend  on 
so  largely.  Of  course,  if  you  want  to  witness 
this  scene  in  full  action,  you  want  to  go  in  the 
evening.  It  is  only  necessary  to  cross  the  Seine 
by  the  bridge  at  the  Place  de  la  Concorde  and 
ride  up  the  Boulevard  St.  Germain  to  the  "Boule- 
Miche,"  as  the  Boulevard  St.  Michel  is  com- 
monly called.  There  you  will  see  revelry  by 
night  and  know  that  you  are  in  the  Latin  Quar- 
ter without  asking  any  one. 

Opinions  of  Paris  vary.  I  cite  one  here  from 
the  pen  of  a  fair  contributor  to  the  Ladies' 
Home  Journal: 

"For  a  month  I  have  been  in  this  city  of  lim- 
ited republicanism;  this  extraordinary  example 
of  outward  beauty  and  inward  uncleanness;  this 
bewildering  cosmopolis  of  cheap  luxuries  and 
expensive  necessities;  this  curious  city  of  con- 
tradictions, where  you  might  eat  your  break- 
fast from  the  streets — they  are  so   clean — but 

56 


-  H   ST       i\ 


f  ft  f  ^f^&=L 


ox  THic   "  r.oui,!';  miciik. 


where  you  must  close  your  eyes  to  the  specta- 
cles of  the  curbstones;  this  beautiful  whited 
sepulchre,  where  exists  the  unwritten  law, 
'Commit  any  offense  you  will,  i)rovicle(l  you  sub- 
merge it  in  poetry  and  flowers;'  this  exponent 
of  outward  observances,  where  a  gentleman  will 
deliberately  push  you  into  the  street  if  he 
wishes  to  pass  you  in  a  crowd,  but  where  his 
action  is  condoned  by  his  inexpressible  manner 
of  raising  his  hat  to  you,  and  the  heartfelt  sin- 
cerity of  his  apology;  where  one  man  will  run 
a  mile  to  restore  a  lost  franc,  but  if  you  ask 
him  to  change  a  gold  piece  he  will  steal  five; 
where  your  eyes  are  ravished  with  the  beauty, 
and  the  greenness,  and  the  smoothness  and  ap- 
parent ease  of  living  of  all  its  inhabitants; 
where  your  mind  is  filled  with  the  pictures,  the 
music,  the  art,  the  general  atmosphere  of  cul- 
ture and  wit;  where  the  cooking  is  so  good, 
but  so  elusive,  and  where  the  shops  are  so  be- 
witching that  you  have  spent  your  last  dollar 
without  thinking,  and  you  are  obliged  to  cable 
for  a  new  letter  of  credit  from  home  before 
you  know  it — this  is  Paris." 

The  young  woman  who  penned  those  lines 
may  eat  her  breakfast  off  the  Paris  streets  if 
she  wants  to;  I  should  hate  to  undertake  the 
contract.  In  fact,  the  stories  so  often  told  to 
the  effect  that  a  man  who  throws  down  a  piece 
of  paper,  even,  in  the  streets  of  Paris  is  at  once 
arrested,  and  the  other  narratives  as  to  the 
fabulous  cleanliness  of  Parisian  thoroughfares 

58 


are  simply  fairy  tales.  Still,  the  system  of  hav- 
ing tlie  streets  washed  down  by  hose  attached 
to  hydrants  at  frequent  intervals  is  an  excellent 
one  and  might  be  imitated  to  advantage  in 
many  American  cities. 

As  for  I'^arning  French,  each  person  must  go 
about  it  in  his  or  her  own  way.  Dictionarias 
and  phrase  books  will  prove  most  useful,  though 

the  reader  will  do  well  to  avoid  those  compiled 
by  foreigners,  who  are  apt  to  give  you  this  sort 
of  thing: 


Que  (lesii'c  monsieur 
le  matin;  tlie  eale  an 
lait,  cliocolat  V 

Vous  m'ajiporterez  le 
cafe  an  lait  tons  les 
matins  a  Unit  lienres. 

C'est  entendu  mon- 
sieiii-. 


What  do   vou  take   in  i      Onate    don     •/,(•    taiUe 


tlie    morninij 


eotfee    with     milke     or 
chocolate .' 
Brlni;  me  cofl'ee  witch 


■iir;     tea.     ine  zi' moi-niiiiKiue  seui': 


ii,    colli   onise   milk 
tchoholete. 
lirinimne      mi      t-ol1ii 


milk  every  moi-ninu'  at     onise    tnilke  e\i'ri   nior- 
eiuht  o'clock.  ninni;ue.  it  c'tc'  o■(■|ol■|^. 

A'ery  well  sir.  \'('ry  onel,  seur. 


l".\E    CO.NNW  IS.WCK.        ;    .AX     A((>)|'()|-,AiN-I-ANl'l';    |   A  N  l-;.\l>ir(  )l    .\  I  \  1  A  MiCl-: 


Jlonsienr  est  etran- 
ger?  Oui.  monsieur,  ie 
.suis  Anglais. 

•I'en  siiis  cliarme  car 
.ie  tiens  tons  les  Anglais 
en  graade  estime. 

Je  von.s  reinercie  pom- 
eux. 

('"est  la  j)reniiere  fois 
(ine  vons  venez  a  Paris  .' 


Are  you  o  foreiuiiei-  Are  yon  i-  loi  incur, 
sir/  Yes,  sir,  I  .-ini  senr  :■  Yes.  scuci-,  ai' 
english.  inegliohe. 

I  am  so  i)leased,  be-  i  A'i  aine  so  slisde.  lii- 
canse  1  hold  all  English  j  <-anse  a'i  holdc  oil  ineg- 
people  in  high  esteem.  '  liche  piiiulc  inc  a'i  es- 
time. 


I  tliank  you  in  tln'ir 
name. 

It  is  the  lir.st  tinu' 
you  come  to  Paris 


.\'i  sannekioii  inc  sicur- 
nciuc. 

Isite  ze  tenrsle  tainn'. 
yon  come  ton  I'ariss. 


I..\  <;oKi{Ksl'().\i).\\(i-: 


I'll  I-:  I  i)i;iti;si'(iN  daxci-: 


Uonnez moi  <ln  paiiicri'  '      (iive   mc    some    letter 
a  lettre,  des  enveloppes,      paper,  sonic  cn\  clops, 

line     plnnic.    un     |iorlc-  a  pen,  a  pen  li;inille, 

I)luine. 

de    leiK-re.    un    <'ra\cin.  ink,  pencil. 

uiie     cai'tc     poslalc     de  a  nosi -i-ai'dr  oi  one   pcn- 

dix.centiines,  ny,  I'orl  llii'cit\   post. 

nn  timlire  tUt  trols  sons,  (hree  hall    penny  stamp 

un  timbre  de  vingt  ciiKj  alwopcnn\  hall   pcnnv 

centimes,  j  stani|), 

<le  la  circa  caclietcr,  un  (  sealing  \\a.\, 

cacliet  pour    iiiie    lettre  a   seal  I'or  a    rcgisli-red 

charg(''e.  letter. 


y.i.   <  (lIMtlsriiMll  AfK 

(iuive  nie  sonic  Icl- 
teur  papeur.  sonic  cii- 
velo|)s,  . 

<'■  pene,  e  pcnc  lia  nc- 
deule, 

innke.  jienecilc. 
e       poste       carde       oye 
oncunc'    peiii    loi'  /.c   iili 
post. 

('.  iri  lial'c  peni  slamli. 
|.  loll  pi-iii  lial'c  pcni 
slam, 

silinngue  ona.xe. 
e     silc      loi-     regislcui-de 
litlenr. 


59 


.MAOASIN'  l)K  roNTKr-     ' 
TIOXS. 

Uoiijour,       monsieur,  , 
que  lU'sirez-vous? 

.Ic  vouiirais  avoir  une 
vest!',  uu  iiautaloii  et 
nil  i^ili't  ^\^•  fioiiiu'  (juali- 
ti-.  i 

Nous     avons    nn'oise- 
iiu'iit   uu     i^raiid    clioix  j 
en  CO  niouR-nt.  i 

Tfucz,  voioi  (juelque 
fhose  <li'  (res  l)on  et  pas 
Cher.  f 

Couibien  cela  vaut- 
ilV 


r\t\-:  rii;Ai>\   <  i,<)-iiii.n(; 
iiui-si:. 

(iood  luoniiutr,  sir, 
what  do  you  desire? 

I  wan  "a  west,  trou- 
sers and  waistcoat  in 
yood  inarerial. 

We  have  .just  now  a 
larf;e  selection. 


Here     is 
very     good 

<lcar. 

How    mncli 
wurtli .' 


soinetliintr 
and      not 

is     tliat 


ZIO     lllODV     CJ.OZl.VNGUK 
HOl'SK. 

Oond  niorninjfne  seur 
outi'  don  you  disairc? 

AY  ouanle  e  vaiste.  <'■ 
traouseurs  annde  ones- 
code  in  gonde  inat('ri- 
ale. 

Oni  liave  djeuste  naii 
i''  larije  sC'ltVheune. 

Il^re  ise  somessinnutuc 
veri  goude  annde  note 
dire. 

llaouv  nieutche  ise 
sale  oueurste  V 


These  examples  I  have  taken  at  random  from 
a  phrase  book  picked  iip  in  Paris  and  which 
many  unfortunate  Frenchmen  use  to  aid  them 
in  acquiring  tae  English  language. 

One  thing  Is  certain,  and  that  is  that  the  best 
way  to  learn  to  speak  a  language  is  to  speak  it. 
You'll  never  learn  if  you  are  afraid  to  try  to 
talk.  Put  yourself  as  often  as  possible  in  places 
where  you've  got  to  talk  or  get  arrested,  and 
never  have  any  false  shame  or  pride  about  your 
mistakes.  Remember  that  if  your  French  is 
broken  and  your  accent  as  strong  as  Sandow, 
the  other  fellow  can't  speak  English  at  all. 

As  to  finding  your  way  around  Paris  and  its 
environs  it  is  too  easy.  Maps  are  plentiful  and 
accurate  and  not  dear.  One  little  book,  such 
as  the  gendarmes  and  the  cab  drivers  provide 
themselves  with,  will  prove  most  useful;  it  is 
a  street  airectory  of  Paris  and  can  be  carried  in 
your  waistcoat  pocket.  It  tells  you  where  each 
street  begins  and  where  it  ends.  If  you  can't 
get  it  at  Brentano's,  39  Avenue  de  I'Opera,  Pitt 
&  Scott,  9  Rue  Scribe  will  get  it  for  you.  As  to 
what  you  want  to  see  in  Paris,  either  on  your 

60 


bicycle  or  otherwise.  I  have  nothing  to  do. 
Follow  your  own  tastes  and  any  guide  book  will 
do  the  rest.  However,  for  the  sake  of  the 
ladies,  and  in  no  way  in  the  shape  of  a  paid  ad- 
vertisement. I  can  give  them  without  reserva- 
tion the  address  of  Madame  Herauld.  31  Rue  de 
Douai.  Paris,  a  dressmaker  whose  work  equals 
that  of  the  Rue  de  la  Paix  artists  and  costs 
about  half  as  much.  Up  to  date,  so  far  as  I 
know,  the  clientele  is  nearly  entirely  French, 
which  may  account  for  her  low  prices.  It  may 
be  well  to  explain  to  her  that  you  are  cycling, 
and  have  seen  this  notice  here.  I  cannot  prom- 
ise the  usual  10  per  cent,  reduction  for  cyclists, 
but  I  can  say  that  they  can  go  to  her  with  the 
assurance  that  she  hasn"t  one  set  of  prices  for 
her  French  and  another  for  her  American  cus- 
tomers. 


61 


CHAPTER    VI. 

On  An  Outing. 

ET  us  assume  that  you  have  had 
enough  of  Paris,  and  we'll  now 
plan  our  first  extended  bicycle  trip. 
Still,  that  is  badly  put.  No  one 
ever  had  enough  of  Paris,  so  let  us 
say  that  having  no  more  time  to  spend  there  we 
have  arranged  a  ride  on  our  wheels  from  Paris 
to  Venice,  taking  in  the  most  beautiful  part 
of  Switzerland  and  crossing  the  Alps  en  ro'ute. 
As  we  can't  very  well  describe  a  trip  in  advance 
that  we  have  not  taken,  perhaps  it  will  be  better 
for  us  to  go  over  a  former  trip  which  I  took  last 
September  with  two  married  friends  of  mine, 
following  the  exact  itinerary.  I  did  not  know 
at  the  time,  and  neither  did  they,  that  I  was 
going  to  write  anything  about  it,  so  it  seems 
unfair  that  I  should  drag  them  into  an  un- 
courted  notoriety  in  this  connection. 

Let  us  then  call  them  simply  Joe  and  Lou. 
This  much  more  I  will  confide  to  you  very 
quietly:  Joe  is  thirty-five  years  old,  and,  being 
a  doctor,  tries  to  look  older.     Lou  is  twenty- 

62 


four,  and.  being  a  woman,  and  not  being  a 
doctor,  she  tries  to  look  younger.  She  is  very 
jolly,  and  the  only  time  I  saw  her  look  unhappy 
during  the  whole  trip  was  in  Switzerland;  then 
she  confided  to  me  that  she  had  been  thinking 
what  a  pity  it  was  that  she  was  a  blonde  in- 
stead of  a  brunette.  She  would  have  looked  so 
much  better  against  a  background  of  snow  and 
ice. 

It  was  September  S  when  we  left  Paris,  and 
our  friends  told  us  that  we  were  a  little  late  in 
the  season  for  bicycling  in  Switzerland.  We  in- 
clined to  that  opinion  ourselves,  and  as  the 
weather  was  not  all  that  it  might  be,  and  as  the 
roads  within  a  hundred  kilometres  of  Paris  in 
any  direction  always  leave  much  to  be  desired, 
we  drove  to  the  Gare  de  Lyon  and  bought 
tickets  to  Macon.  We  took  second-class  tickets, 
as  every  one  does  in  France  who  has  more  sense 
than  money.  Our  tickets  cost  33  francs,  or  $6.6i) 
each,  and  we  had  the  good  fortune  to  have  a 
compartmeni  to  ourselves.  For  our  bicycles  we 
paid  two  cents.  The  train  left  Paris  at  2.15 
p.  m.  It  was  between  7  and  8  o'clock  in  the 
evening  when  we  arrived  at  Dijon,  whicn  was 
the  first  place  at  which  we  had  a  chance  to  get 
anything  to  eat.  The  barbarous  practice,  common 
with  us,  of  standing  at  a  counter  while  eating,  is 
unknown  in  France,  even  at  a  railroad  restau- 
rant. There  were  only  twenty  minutes  for 
refreshments,  but  the  tables  were  attractively 
spread    for    a    table    d'hote    dinner,    and    were 

C?. 


"  i.or. 


variously  ticketed  three  and  four  francs,  or 
sixty  and  eighty  cents,  with  tlie  wine  incluaed. 
We  took  a  four  franc  table  and  Lou  worried 
dreadfully  about  it.  She  said  she  had  a  great 
deal  too  much  to  eat  and  wanted  to  get  a  re- 
bate, but  time  wouldn't  permit.  At  9.40  o'clock 
we  arrived  at  Macon  and  drove  to  the  Hotel 
de  I'Europe,  which  is  about  ten  minutes  from 
the  railroad  station  and  on  the  bank  of  the 
river  Saone.  Our  wheels  were  carefully  stowed 
on  top  of  the  omnibus.  We  found  the  hotel  ex- 
cellent, and  special  rates  were  made  for  up  as 
soon  as  it  was  known  that  we  were  cyclists  and 
members  of  the  Touring  Club.  Joe  and  Lou 
paid  five  francs,  or  $1,  for  a  great  room  with 
two  beds.  I  got  one  two  sizes  too  big  for  me 
for  three  francs  or  sixty  cents.  Lights  and  ser- 
vice were  included.  Two  beds  generally  go 
with  all  double  rooms  in  French  hotels. 

The  nexc  morning  was  so  mild  and  the  out- 
look so  beautiful  that,  after  crossing  the  river 
on  the  first  bridge  to  the  right  on  leaving  the 
hotel,  we  rode  to  Bourg  for  l)reakfast.  Bourg 
was  thirty  Kilometres,  or  a  little  more  than 
twenty  miles,  from  Macon.  We  stai'ted  late, 
and  when  we  were  ready  to  leave  Bourg  it  was 
already  about  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  But 
with  the  exhilaration  of  the  wheel  strong  within 
us,  we  were  not  yet  satisfied  and  decided  to  keep 
on  to  Pont  d'Ain,  whei-e  we  were  to  si)pn(l  the 
night  in  spite  of  the  lowering  clouds  which 
threatened    laiii.     Wo    hadn't    richlen    ten    kilo- 


metres  when  it  began  to  rain  in  good  earnest. 
Ordinarily,  under  such  circumstances,  there  is 
some  town  which  will  furnish  a  temporary 
shelter,  or  at  which  you  can  even  put  up  for 
tne  night  if  the  rain  continues;  but  in  this  case 
there  was  nothing  between  us  and  our  destina- 
tion. As  the  rain  came  down  faster  and  faster 
we  finally  decided  to  take  shelter  in  a  little  hut 
with  a  thatched  roof  beside  of  the  road. 

Here  we  were  made  welcome  by  the  old 
woman  in  charge,  a  good  type  of  the  French 
peasant,  who  seemed  very  much  surprised  when 
she  learned  that  we  came  from  Paris  and  did 
not  know  her  daughter  Clemence,  who  was  in 
service  there.  While  we  were  waiting  for  the 
rain  to  cease  the  old  woman  told  us  that  they 
were  all  very  poor  in  that  neighborhood;  they 
lived  on  bread  and  pork,  with  a  potato  and  a 
parsnip  or  two  thrown  in  now  and  then  as  a 
luxury.  She  said  she  didn't  mind  so  much  in  the 
summer,  but  in  bad  weather,  during  the  winter, 
she  and  her  husband  were  kept  busy  shoveling 
the  snow  out  of  the  house. 

As  the  rain  continued  we  decided  we  had  better 
make  a  move  rather  than  be  caught  by  the  dark- 
ness as  well  as  the  bad  weather.  Lou  was  more 
anxious  even  than  we  to  move  on,  and  declared 
that  she  didn't  mind  a  little  wetting,  so  we  set 
out,  and  a  ride  of  about  three-quarters  of  an 
hour  brought  us  to  Pont  d'Ain,  where  we  went 
to  the  Hotel  Beau,  an  unpretentious  though  ex- 
cellent   hostelry.     On     our     arrival     we   were 

66 


pretty  wet  and  our  wheels  were  sights  to  be- 
hold, but.  as  usual  in  French  towns,  there  was 
a  mechanic  who  makes  a  specialty  of  looking 
after  bicycles,  and  we  turned  thom  over  to  his 
mercies.  The  house  was  kept  by  an  old  lady 
with  four  daughters.  They  showed  us  every  at- 
tention, got  dry  clothes  for  Lou,  and  even  got  a 
hot  water  bottle  for  her  feet.  As  no  such  so- 
licitude was  shown  on  our  account,  Joe  and  I 
went  out  and  put  a  bottle  where  it  would  do  the 
most  good  from  our  point  of  view. 

The  next  morning  bright  and  early  the  bicycle 
man  came  around  with  our  machines  in  excel- 
lent order.  He  charged  us  a  dollar  for  the 
three.  As  it  still  rained,  Joe  and  I  played  bil- 
liards while  Lou  wrote  letters.  If  we  could 
have  been  easily  discouraged  we  would  have 
lost  heart  right  here  at  the  outset  of  our  trip, 
for  it  rained  steadily  two  days.  But  between 
letter  writing  and  playing  cribbage  and  billiards 
we  managed  to  pass  the  time  very  agreeably, 
although  we  were  impatient  to  get  on.  By  the 
way.  if  you  want  to  play  billiards  cheaply  go 
to  Pont  d'Ain.  They  don't  charge  anything 
there. 

On  Saturday,  September  11.  the  weather 
cleared  up  sufficiently  for  us  to  start  on  our  way 
and  we  rode  on  to  Cermont,  by  the  way  of 
Poncin,  when  it  began  to  rain  again,  and  we 
were  driven  to  the  village  inn  for  shelter.  We 
took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  order 
breakfast,     during    the    course    of    which    we 

68 


learned  that  our  host  had  been  a  butler  in  a 
Chicago  family  and  had  traveled  all  through 
the  United  States.  He  confided  to  us  that  he 
didn't  dare  to  narrate  to  his  friends  in  Cermont, 
where  he  was  born,  all  the  luxuries  and  com- 
forts of  travel  and  other  marvelous  things  tnat 
he  had  seen  in  America.  He  said  he  was  afraid 
if  he  did  he  would  get  the  reputation  of  being 
the  star  liar  of  the  district.  Early  in  the  af- 
ternoon, as  the  weather  uad  cleared  again,  we 
started  out  on  our  way  to  Nantua,  about  twenty 
kilometres  further  on.  Right  here  let  me  ex- 
plain the  difference  between  a  kilometre  and  a 
mile:  A  kilometre  has  1,000  yards,  while,  as 
every  schoolboy  knows,  it  takes  1,760  to  make 
a  mile.  On  leaving  Cermont  one  has  about  six 
or  seven  kilometres  of  hill  climbing,  but  it  is 
the  most  beautiful  hill  climbing  that  can  pos- 
sibly be  imagined.  As  you  get  up  higher  and 
higher,  and  look  back  at  the  little  village  you 
are  leaving  behind  you  with  its  picturesque 
chalets,  the  rivulets  dancing  down  the  mountain 
side,  and  the  fields  below  where  the  cattle 
browse,  with  the  ever  varying  shades  of  light, 
the  effect  is  marvelous.  The  road  is  so  tor- 
tuous that  when  you  think  you  have  almost 
come  to  the  end  you  find  yourself  at  a  turn 
which  leads  you  higher  and  higher,  until  you 
arrive  at  a  point  almost  opposite  that  at  which 
you  thought  you  were  already  nearing  the  top. 
In  fact  the  scene  is  so  lovely,  and  one  becomes 
so  lost   in   the    contemplation   of   it,     that  one 

69 


doesn't  mind  the  climbing  of  the  hills  at  all. 
All  the  way  the  road  is  good,  and  once  at  the 
top,  one  is  rewarded  with  a  coast  down  the 
other  side  and  a  scene  almost  as  beautiful  as 
the  panorama  on  which  we  had  just  feasted  our 
eyes.  After  a  ride  of  ten  kilometres  a  beautiful 
land-locked  lake,  nestling  in  the  valley,  comes 
into  view,  and  at  the  lower  end  of  this 
there  is  the  town  of  Nautua.  It  was  nearly  6 
o'clock  when  we  rode  through  the  streets  of 
this  quaint  old  town  and  found  excellent  quar- 
ters at  the  Hotel  de  France.  Here  we  remarked 
that  while  the  rooms  were  good,  they  were  no 
better  than  those  we  had  at  Pont  d'Ain,  al- 
though th^y  cost  twice  as  much.  Still,  that 
wasn't  so  much  either,  as  at  Pont  d'Ain  we  only 
paid  two  francs  each  for  our  rooms:  Joe  and 
Lou  paying  no  more  for  their  double  room  than 
I  paid  for  my  single  one,  an  arrangement  which 
obtains  very  generally  in  France. 


71 


CHAPTER    VII. 

On  to  Geneva. 

OU  met  her  first  annoyance  at  Nan- 
tua  in  the  morning  when  she 
waked  up.  As  usual,  she  wanted 
cafe  au  lait  served  in  her  room, 
but  instead  of  the  dainty  little  ser- 
vice on  a  tray,  the  woman  appeared  with  the 
big  coffee  poi  such  as  is  used  down  stairs  m 
serving  the  cafe  noir,  and  seemed  much  sur- 
prised when  I^ou  wanted  a  little  pot  of  her  own. 
"Why,"  she  said,  "just  think  of  what  a  lot  of 
small  pots  we  would  have  to  have  if  we  served 
one  to  each  room!"  This  was  only  one  of  many 
instances  we  found  where  the  more  pretentious 
the  hotel  and  the  more  pompous  the  demeanor 
of  the  proprietor  the  worse  the  service  was. 
When  we  got  outside  the  weather  was  very  far 
from  cheering  us.  It  was  still  raining.  How- 
ever, we  borrowed  umbrellas  and  got  some  fun 
out  of  strolling  round  the  town,  noticing  in  the 
course  of  our  walk  that  a  theatrical  troupe  was 
billed  to  give  a  performance  of  the  "Courier  of 
Lyons"  that  evening.  The  theatre  was  simply 
a  great  tent  pitched  in  an  open   space  in   the 

72 


middle  of  the  town.  Inside  tlie  tent  there  was 
a  very  decent  arrangement  of  seats  on  a  rising 
floor,  and  the  stage  was  of  fair  dimensions. 

The  idea  of  going  to  the  theatre  under  such 
circumstances  tickled  Lou  immensely,  and  we 
immediately  tried  to  purchase  three  reserved 
seats  for  the  evening.  The  woman  in  charge 
said  it  was  against  the  rules  to  sell  seats  in 
advance,  but  good  naturedly  offered  to  i-eserve 
us  three  of  the  best,  which  we  could  get  and  pay 
for  at  night.  This  done,  Lou  announced  that 
she  was  going  to  get  her  hair  shampooed. 
Meantime,  Joe  and  I  got  shaved  oy  a  barber 
who  said  he  knew  America  very  well  himself, 
and  who  wanted  to  know  what  part  of  Brazil 
we  came  from.  It  seems  he  had  passed  some 
time  in  Rio  de  Janeiro.  It  is  generally  the  case 
In  Europe  that  the  distinction  between  North 
and  South  America  is  very  little  understood. 
Meantime,  while  Lou  was  getting  her  hair 
dried,  Joe  and  I  played  billiards,  and  by  this 
time  we  were  ready  for  breakfast,  which  was 
very  bountiful,  and,  as  usual,  included  wine. 
The  price  of  the  breakfast  was  three  francs, 
which,  unlike  the  general  custom,  was  the  same 
price  as  the  dinner.  The  dinner  was  also  very 
good,  though,  as  in  so  many  other  French  hotels, 
there  was  a  great  deal  too  much  of  it.  Our 
rooms  at  this  hotel  for  four  francs  were  fair 
and  .Joe  and  Lou  paid  no  more  than  I  did. 

In  I  he  evening  an  agreeable  surprise  awaited 
us;  I  have  seen  very  much  less  meritorious  per- 

73 


formances  of  well  known  plays  given  in  fair 
sized  American  cities  than  that  of  the  "Courier 
of  Lyons"  as  presented  by  the  French  troupe  in 
that  big  tent  at  Nantua.  In  fact,  so  good  was 
their  work,  and  so  strange  did  it  seem  to  see 
such  unusual  talent  under  such  odd  conditions, 
that  when  it  rained  the  following  day,  which 
was  Saturday,  we  didn't  know  whether  to  be 
disappointed  or  to  be  glad,  for  it  gave  us  a 
chance  to  stay  longer  and  see  the  same  company 
give  a  performance  of  "La  Fille  ae  Madame  An- 
got,"  which  they  did  with  a  tunefulness  and  a 
go  simply  refreshing.  They  also  numbered  in 
their  repertoire  such  pieces  as  "La  Perichole," 
"Le  Petit  Due"  and  "Madame  Sans  Gene,"  and 
many  others  equally  ambitious. 

That  night  the  company  was  billed  in  "Le 
Petit  Due,"  but  as  it  still  rained,  and  as  we 
were  not  particularly  pleased  with  the  hotel,  in 
spite  of  the  length  of  its  menu,  we  took  a  train 
toward  6  o'clock  for  Bellegarde,  some  twenty- 
five  kilometres  further  on  in  our  journey.  We 
disliked  to  do  this,  because  the  road  between 
Nantua  and  Bellegarde  is  very  good,  and  from 
what  we  saw  of  it  from  the  train  the  scenery 
must  be  beautiful.  At  Bellegarde  we  went  to 
the  Hotel  des  Touristes,  which  is  kept  by  two 
sisters,  who  were  extremely  agreeable.  We  had 
been  advised  not  to  go  to  this  hotel,  as  the  pro- 
prietor of  it  had  been  murdered  by  one  of  his 
servants  about  six  months  before,  and  this 
faet  was  supposed  to  cast  a  hoodoo  over  the 

74 


house  and  all  who  went  there.  We  consulted 
Lou  on  the  subject,  and  she  said  she  just 
doted  on  hoodoos  and  wouldn't  hear  of  going 
anywhere  else.  Joe  and  Lou  got  an  excellent 
room  for  four  francs,  while  I  had  good  quarters 
for  two  francs  fifty  centimes  or  fifty  cents. 

Incidentally,  Lou  ascertained  that  the  maid  of 
all  work  received  for  her  services  the  munificent 
sum  of  $4  per  month,  and  was  expected  to  be 
up  shortly  after  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  and 
not  to  go  to  bed  before  ten.  Lou  said  she  had 
rather  ride  a  bicycle. 

At  last,  on  September  13,  the  sun  consented  to 
smile  on  our  little  expedition,  and  we  set  out 
about  eleven  o'clock  for  Chancy,  a  town  on  the 
frontier,  between  France  and  Switzerland.     We 
had  decided  to  take  our  dejeuner  a  la  fourchette 
at  Collonges,   a  little   more   than   twenty   kilo- 
metres away.  The  ride  to  this  place  was  delight- 
ful.     At  first  it  was  up  a  continuous  ascent,  some 
of  which  is  too  steep  to  ride  comfortably,  though 
most  of  it  can  be  negotiated  without  effort.     In 
fact,  Lou  could  take  hills  quite  as  well  as  we 
could.      She   said  it    was    because    she    didn't 
smoke.     The   road   was   in   excellent  condition, 
and  as  you  ride  along  you   get  a  magnificent 
view  of  the  gorge  below,   through   which  flow 
narrow  streams  of  water  which  sparkle  in  the 
sunlight,  being  fed  from  the  mountain  brooks 
dancing  down  the  mountain  side  to  our  left  and 
passing  through  waterways  made  for  them  un- 
der  the  road  along  which    we  were   wheeling. 

75 


Far,  far  below,  Lou,  on  the  fui-tiier  side  of  the 
gorge,  were  two  railroad  tracks,  and  every  now 
and  then  we  could  see  trains  in  motion,  so  far 
away  that  they  seemed  to  be  only  crawling 
along,  and  it  was  interesting  to  see  them  dis- 
appear into  some  tunnel  of  great  length,  often- 
times dug  through  solid  rocl^,  only  to  appear 
again  at  the  other  end,  their  coming  being 
heralded  by  little  puffs  of  smoke. 

When  we  got  to  Collonges  we  were  nearly  up 
to  the  top  of  our  climb.  We  breakfasted  in  the 
funniest  of  little  road-side  inns,  where  the  na- 
tives must  have  mighty  appetites,  judging  from 
the  supply  of  viands  set  before  us.  As  usual, 
the  breakfast  included  wine,  and  cost  us  fifty 
cents  apiece.  After  breakfast  we  were  very 
glad  to  soon  find  ourselves  riding  down  a  hill 
toward  Chancy. 

We  bowled  at  great  speed,  and  in  wonderful 
spirits,  across  the  bridge  at  Chancy,  when  sud- 
denly a  man  stepped  out  of  a  little  house,  at  the 
right  of  the  road,  and  held  up  his  hands  for  us 
to  stop.  We  understood  in  a  moment  what  he 
meant.  We  were  about  to  cross  our  first  fron- 
tier, and  that  was  his  way  of  telling  us  to  stand 
and  deliver.  Lou  said  afterwards  that  she 
knew  she  could  have  ridden  by  him  and  he 
could  never  have  touched  her.  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  I  have  no  doubt  she  could  have  done  so,  and 
it  would  often  be  possible  to  cross  a  frontier  in 
this  way,  but  it  would  never  be  advisable.  If 
one  should  undertake  to  do  such  a  thing  the  of- 

76 


ficial  would  simply  telephone  or  telegraph  to 
other  officials  along  the  route  which  you  would 
have  to  take  and  you  would  be  sure  to  be  held 
up,  and  the  consequences  of  your  indiscretion 
might  be  serious. 

As  it  was  we  all  dismounted,  and  as  we  wei'e 
each  armed  with  our  cards  of  identification  as 
members  of  the  French  Touring  Club,  we  ex- 
pected no  trouble  whatever.  The  Swiss  officials 
were  very  polite,  and  after  having  carefully  ex- 
amined my  card  and  that  of  Joe,  and  having 
compared  the  name  of  the  maker  and  the  num- 
ber on  the  card  with  the  name  and  the  number 
on  the  machine,  they  pronounced  them  all  rignt 
and  said  we  might  proceed. 

Whether  Lou  had  brought  along  the  hoodoo 
from  that  hotel  at  Bellegarde  or  not  I  cannot 
say,  but  trouble  began  at  once  when  she  handed 
over  her  card  of  identity.  The  official  examined 
it  carefully,  looked  puzzled,  smiled  a,  little,  and 
then  looked  at  Lou  curiously. 

"Guess  he  thinks  I'm  smuggling  something." 
said  Lou,  sotto  voce,  in  English. 

We  could  not  understand  what  was  the 
trouble,  for  her  card  was  identical  with  our  own. 
Then  the  official  proceeded  to  explain,  pointing 
out  the  fact,  that  while  Lou's  card  was  en 
regie  in  all  other  respects  it  lacked  the  number. 

"But  the  machine  has  no  number,"  Joe  ex- 
claimed. 

"But  it  should  have,"  said  the  Swiss  official. 
"I  never  saw  one  before  that  didn't  have.' 

77 


Now  the  fact  was  that  Lou  had  learned  to 
ride  a  bicycle  in  the  Bois  de  Vincennes,  near 
Nogent  Vincennes,  and  had  let  the  man  of 
whom  she  hired  the  wheel,  and  who  took  charge 
of  her  instruction,  build  her  a  bicycle  to  order, 
from  the  parts  of  machines  which  he  had  re- 
ceived from  England.  Not  being  a  bicycle  man- 
ufacturer, and  never  having  put  together  more 
than  half  a  dozen  machines  in  his  life,  he  had 
never  bothered  about  numbering  them. 

We  explained  this  to  our  Swiss  friend  with 
all  the  gentleness  possible,  but  he  would  not 
have  it. 

"You  gentlemen  can  go  on,"  he  said,  "but  the 
lady  cannot  cross  this  frontier." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  we  have  got  to  go 
back  to  Paris  to  have  the  man  who  made  the 
machine  put  on  a  number?"  we  asked. 

"No,"  he  said,  "you  can  have  the  number  put 
on  anywhere  in  France. 

"Will  any  old  number  do?"  asked  Joe. 

"Certainly,"  said  the  Cerberus  of  the  Swiss 
frontier.  "All  you  have  to  do  is  to  take  this 
machine  somewhere  on  your  side  of  the  fron- 
tier and  have  it  numbered;  then  come  back  here 
and  the  lady  can  go  on  with  you." 

On  inquiry,  he  informed  us  that  there  was  a 
blacksmith's  shop  he  thought  about  two  kilo- 
metres back  on  the  way  we  had  come.  Seeing 
that  thei'e  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  comply  with 
this  seemingly  ridiculous  requirement,  we 
mounted    our   machines   and    turned    back,    al- 

78 


though  the  sky  was  growing  overcast  again. 
Lou  never  said  a  word  for  the  first  kilometre, 
then  turning  to  us,  she  ejaculated,  "Will  you 
two  swear  for  me,  please?"  We  complied  with 
pleasure. 

We  foimd  the  blacksmith's  shop  without 
trouble,  but  as  often  with  French  workingmen, 
the  proprietor  was  not  at  work.  His  wife  was 
there,  however,  along  with  five  or  six  dirty  chil- 
dren. After  some  difficulty  we  persuaded  the 
woman  to  crawl  into  the  shop  through  a  win- 
dow and  bring  out  as  many  sharp  pointed  tools 
as  she  could  get  hold  of.  With  one  of  these  in- 
struments Joe  went  to  work  to  try  to  cut  a 
number  on  Lou's  machine.  He  could  make  lit- 
tle impression  on  the  hard  frame  with  the  com- 
paratively dull  instrument  he  had  to  work  with, 
but  he  finally  did  succeed  in  cutting  a  pretty 
fair  imitation  of  the  number  13  on  the  enamel 
surface  of  both  the  front  and  back  part  of  the 
frame  of  the  machine. 

But  this  didn't  suit  Lou.  She  might  dote  on 
hoodoos  in  a  general  way,  but  she  was  not  going 
to  ride  a  machine  numbered  13.  Thereupon  Joe 
added  another  three  to  the  numbers  already  cut, 
and  having  tipped  the  old  lady,  we  all  started 
merrily  back  to  Chancy.  Lou's  machine,  which 
had  caused  so  much  suspicion  when  it  was  un- 
numbered, now  passed  muster  all  right  with 
those  magic  symbols  133,  and  the  Swiss  official 
sent  us  on  our  way  rejoicing.  Meantime,  the 
clouds,  which   had   long  been   threatening,    be- 

79 


gan  to  drip  rain,  and  when  we  were  still  eigh- 
teen kilometres  from  Geneva,  we  found  our- 
selves caught  in  a  nasty  drizzle  storm.  We  had 
begun  to  think  that  we  were  in  for  another  ride 
ill  tlie  wet,  and  Lou  was  remarking  on  the 
difficulty  of  keeping  her  hair  in  crimp,  when 
we  saw  a  tram  car  by  the  side  of  the  road.  We 
asked  the  conductor  where  it  went,  and  to  our 
delight  learned  that  it  went  right  into  the  heart 
of  Geneva,  and  that  if  we  wanted  to  take  it 
there  was  plenty  of  room  on  the  front  platform 
for  our  bicycles. 

In  an  hour  we  were  in  Geneva,  and  as 
the  rain  had  ceased  falling,  we  got  on  our 
machines  and  started  to  ride  through  the  town. 
We  did  this  in  accordance  with  an  invariable 
rule  which  we  followed  all  throuch  the  trip,  and 
which,  undoubtedly,  saved  us  a  great  deal  of 
money.  We  would  never  decide  beforehand 
what  hotel  we  would  go  to  before  arriving  at 
any  given  place. 


so 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


Adventures  in  Geneva. 


N  THIS  way  we  were  able  to  ride 
y        around  the  town  and  look  over  the 
"■■^'      various    hotels    to    suit    ourselves. 
/'      If  we  saw  one  which  was  not  too 
pretentious,    and    yet   appeared   to 
be  to  our  liking,  we  would  ride  up  to  it,  dis- 
mount,  lean   our  wheels   against  a  convenient 
tree  or  place   them   in   the   racks  usually   pro- 
vided   for    bicycles,    and    then    order    some    re- 
freshments, as  if  we  had  not  the  slightest  idea 
of  taking  rooms  there.     A  little  later  we  would 
ask  the  waiter  casually  if  they  had  rooms  to  let, 
and  how  the  prices  ranged.     Within  a  few  mo- 
ments that  waiter  was  sure  to  have  the  master 
or  mistress  of  the  establishment  out  on  the  side- 
walk, and  it  was  equally  certain  that  the  pro- 
prietor would  make  us  the  most  alluring  terms, 
fearing  that  we  would    ride  away   without  in- 
specting   the    rooms.     If    the    prices    were    rea- 
sonable, Lou  would  go  in  and  see  if  the  accom- 
modations  were   suitable,   and    there   we   were, 
settled  without  any  bother  or  embarrassment  or 
haggling   about    rales.     The   advantage   of   this 


SI 


mode  of  procedure  is  obvious.  If  you  ride  up 
to  a  hotel  with  the  avowed  intention  of  staying 
there,  before  you  have  a  chance  of  making  any 
arrangements  the  porters  and  waiters  have 
grabbed  your  bicycles,  unstrapped  your  baggage, 
and  probably  stowed  away  the  whole  outfit  in 
some  back  room,  then  feeling  already  half  sure 
of  their  prey,  the  patron  piles  on  the  price. 
Having  gone  so  far,  you  feel  embarrassed  about 
going,  and  even  if  you  do  so,  all  the  employees 
will  expect  tips  for  having  handled  your  ma- 
chines. 

In  Geneva,  of  course,  there  is  no  lack  of 
hotels,  and  many  of  them  are  of  high  grade 
and  not  dear  from  the  American  standpoint. 
Four  dollars  a  day  would  probably  cover  all 
your  expenses  at  any  of  them.  But  we  thought 
that  we  could  do  better,  and  events  proved  that 
we  were  right.  After  riding  around  for  an  hour 
we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  most  of  the 
people  of  Geneva  were  trying  to  support  them- 
selves by  renting  rooms.  There  were  signs  of 
rooms  or  apartments  to  let,  of  every  descrip- 
tion, on  all  sides  and  in  all  parts  of  the  city. 

At  the  end  of  our  hour's  ride  we  found  our- 
selves very  comfortably  located  in  rooms  up 
one  flight,  in  a  house  where  furnished  rooms 
were  to  let  without  board.  We  never  went  to 
boarding  houses.  The  rooms  were  very  agree- 
able, and  situated  near  the  grounds  of  the  late 
exposition.  When  we  left  Macon  we  had  sent 
our  trunks   by  grande  Vitesse,   to   meet  us   at 

82 


Geneva.  We  had  no  difficulty  whatever  in  get- 
ting them  here.  We  merely  gave  the  keys  to 
a  man  employed  in  the  house  and  we  had  them 
the  next  morning.  We  had  taken  them  as  far 
as  Macon  with  us  because  our  cickets  to  that 
place  entitled  us  to  that  amount  of  baggage, 
and  it  was  cheaper  to  express  them  on  from 
there  to  Geneva  than  it  would  have  been  from 
Paris.  The  price  of  the  rooms  which  we  en- 
gaged was  no  higher  than  that  which  we  had 
been  paying. 

Joe  and  Lou  paid  four  francs  for  their  room, 
and  were  blessed  with  the  liberal  supply  of 
three  beds.  Joe  said  that  Lou  put  her  bicycle 
in  the  third  bed  every  night,  but  Lou  denied  it. 
My  room  cost  me  three  francs  and  only  had  one 
bed.  I  don't  think  that  was  quite  fair,  but 
didn't  say  anything,  as  sixty  cents  a  day  isn't 
so  very  dear  for  a  room  one  flight  up  with  a 
bed  eight  feet  wide.  We  were  also  able  to  make 
special  arrangements  by  which  Lou  could  get 
tea  or  coffee  and  bread  and  butter  m  her  room 
every  morning  for  one  franc.  When  we  asked 
what  the  weather  outlook  was  we  were  told 
that  it  was  good,  because  it  had  already  been 
raining  at  Geneva  for  a  week.  That  night  we 
dined  at  the  Cafe  Lyrique,  near  the  Theatre 
Lyrique.  This  is  an  excellent  cafe,  the  por- 
tions being  large  even  from  an  American  point 
of  view,  and  the  prices  were  reasonable.  By 
the  way,  if  you  drink  wine,  every  one  will  be 
advising  you  to  try  a  brand  called  Asti.  All  I 
can  say  is,  don't  do  it.     Maple  syrup  is  sour  by 

83 


comparison.  That  night  we  were  tired  and 
went  to  Ded,  only  to  get  up  and  find  it  still  rain- 
ing. We  made  a  trip  around  town,  though,  and 
in  searching  for  a  restaurant  at  which  to  break- 
fast, we  were  directed  to  the  Hotel  du  Nord. 

We  had  an  excellent  breakfast  at  this  restau- 
rant, and  there  is  no  question  that  the  chef 
understands  his  business,  but  the  prices  are 
higher  even  than  at  a  similar  place  in  Paris. 
The  check  was  for  twenty-four  francs  and  we 
didn't  have  much  either. 

Outside,  Lou  complained  of  indigestion:  she 
said  she  didn't  know  whether  it  was  the  break- 
fast or  the  checlv. 

That  night  we  went  to  a  real  theatre,  the  only 
one  open  at  the  time  in  Geneva.  They  were 
playing  "Charley's  Aunt"  or  "La  Marraine  de 
Charley,"  as  it  is  known  in  the  French  version. 
It  wasn't  l)adly  done,  but  Lou  said  she  didn't 
enjoy  it  half  as  much  as  the  performances  in 
that  tent  at  Nantua. 

We  had  now  got  to  September  Ifi  and  the 
weather  was  still  gloomy, yet  it  diun't  rain.  In  a 
spasm  of  economy  and  still  remembering  the 
check  for  twenty-four  francs  at  the  Hotel  du 
Nord,  Lou  dragged  us  to  some  place  where  we 
could  breakfast  for  30  cents.  I  had  rather  not 
say  much  about  that  breakfast,  but  it  certainly 
wasn't  worth  more  than  they  asked  for  it.  Af- 
ter breakfast,  while  Lou  went  home  to  put  on 
her  bicycle  costume,  Joe  and  I  went  and  got 
something  to  eat.     That  afternoon  we  rode  all 

S4 


OA'er  Geneva,  although  the  roads  outside  of  the 
city  were  still  in  such  a  condition  as  to  make  it 
impossible  for  us  to  continue  our  journey.  It 
is  remarkable  how  much  more  of  a  city  you  can 
see  in  one  afternoon  on  a  bicycle  than  you  pos- 
sibly could  in  traveling  around  a  number  of 
days  on  foot.  I  need  not  tell  you  of  the  myriad 
of  pretty  articles  in  the  way  of  jewelry  and 
souvenirs  displayed  in  the  show  windows  at 
Geneva.  When  you  get  there  you  will  see  them 
for  yourself. 

On  September  17  we  called  on  the  United 
States  Consul  at  Geneva,  Benjamin  H.  Ridgely, 
who,  besides  being  an  authority  on  international 
law  and  a  linguist  who  speaks  French  as  well 
as  he  does  English,  is  an  enthusiastic  cyclist. 
Mr.  Ridgely  has  made  the  tour  of  the  Lake  of 
Geneva  on  his  wheel  more  than  a  dozen  times, 
besides  having  ridden  over  most  of  Southern 
Europe.  To  him  we  are  indebted  for  the  route 
which  we  subsequently  took  on  our  trip  to  Inter- 
laken  and  across  the  Alps  to  Milan  and  Venice. 
He  also  kindly  lent  us  some  maps  of  his  own 
which  were  invaluable  to  us  on  the  journey. 
Mr.  Ridgely  expressed  the  opinion  that  the 
trip  from  Brigue  across  the  Simplon  to  Domo 
d'Ossola  is  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  bicycle 
ride  in  the  world. 

That  afternoon  .loe  had  an  adventure  which 
illustrates  a  curious  practice  in  Switzerland. 
Joe  speaks  French  pretty  well,  so  when  he  went 
into  a  barber  shop  he  said  with  calm  confidence, 

85 


"La  barbe,  une  seule  fois,  bien  vite  s'il  vous 
plait, "  meaning  to  say,  "Shave,  once  over, 
mighty  quick,  please." 

To  Joe's  surprise  the  man  grabbed  the  scissors 
and  began  to  make  frantic  attempts  to  cut  his 
hair.  Joe  flushed  a  little  to  think  his  French 
should  meet  with  such  a  reception.  Hastily  he 
seized  a  razor  in  his  hand  and  said  again,  in 
French,  "What's  the  matter  with  you?  I  said 
shave." 

At  last  the  man,  seeing  the  razor,  seemed  to 
comprehend,  and  proceeded  to  shave  his  victim. 

When  he  was  through  Joe  said  very  distinctly 
"Pas  de  poudre,"  naturally  wishing  to  say  "no 
powder,"  whereupon  the  man  seized  the  puff 
and  powdered  Joe  vigorously  all  over  the  face, 
not  missing  his  mouth  when  Joe  opened  it  to 
expostulate. 

"Don't  you  speak  French?"  cried  Joe.  "Nein," 
said'  the  man  with  a  stupid  look. 

Joe  began  to  think  he  was  in  an  idiot  asylum 
when  the  proprietor  came  out  of  the  back  room 
and  offered  this  explanation.  His  employe,  he 
said,  was  what  is  known  in  Switzerland  as  a 
Volontaire,  that  is  to  say,  he  was  one  of  those 
Germans  who  come  over  into  a  French  Canton 
to  learn  the  French  language,  offering  his  ser- 
vices voluntarily  and  receiving  only  his  board 
for  his  work. 

But  Joe's  saddest  adventure  in  Geneva  was  of 
a  more  serious  character.  The  night  before  the 
last  of  our  stay  there  we  dined  at  the  Grand 

86 


Cafe.  I  had  walked  down  with  Loii,  and  Joe 
was  the  only  one  with  a  bicycle.  When  we 
started  to  go  home  it  was  raining  a  little  and 
Joe  asked  the  proprietor  if  he  could  leave  his 
bicycle  at  the  cafe.  That  gentleman  said  "cer- 
tainly," and  was  greatly  insulted  when  Joe 
wanted  to  put  his  chain  on  it.  "Your  bicycle 
is  as  safe  here  as  it  would  be  in  your  own 
house,"  he  said  with  a  grandiloquent  air.  So 
Joe  did  not  insist  further,  but  left  his  wheel, 
with  some  misgivings. 

Next  morning  Joe  called  and  got  his  wheel. 
On  mounting  it  he  noticed  that  the  hind  tire 
bumped.  Getting  off,  he  found  the  tire  entirely 
deflated,  and  looking  for  the  cause,  found  a  nail 
in  it  more  than  an  inch  long.  He  dragged  the 
proprietor  out  to  look  at  it.  That  individual 
was  very  sorry,  but  he  had  merely  promised  Joe 
that  his  wheel  would  be  safe,  and  the  only  thing 
he  could  imagine  was  that  one  of  the  members 
of  his  orchestra  must  have  taken  it  out  for  an 
early  morning  ride,  and  that  after  having  picked 
up  the  nail,  must  have  ridden  back  with  the 
air  out  of  the  tube.  There  was  nothing  for  Joe 
to  do  but  go  to  the  representatives  of  the  manu- 
facturer of  his  tire  at  Geneva.  There  they  tried 
to  repair  the  tire  but  the  cut  was  so  near  the 
valve,  they  said,  that  when  it  was  blown  up  it 
exploded,  and  Joe  had  to  buy  another  tire  of  the 
same  make.  The  manufacturers  of  the  tire  at 
Paris  subsequently  sent  him  a  new  tire  without 
charge  on  his  representation  of  the  case.  The 
tiif  reached  us  at  Milan. 

87 


The  night  of  September  21  was  ])right  and 
starlight,  so  we  made  arrangements  for  the  for- 
warding of  our  trunks  to  Interlalien,  and  pre- 
pared to  continue  our  journey  next  morning. 


88 


CHAPTER    IX. 

En  Route  at  Last. 

N  the  morning  of  September  21  we 
realized  the  truth  of  the  proverb 
which  runs  as  the  French  put  it, 
"Tout  vient  a  point  a  qui  sait  at- 
tendre."  Surely  we  had  waited 
long  enough  for  the  sun,  and,  at  length,  there 
it  was  in  all  its  glory.  Our  next  step  may  seem 
singular  to  most  cyclists,  for  instead  of  riding  to 
Lausanne  we  took  the  lake  steamer  which  left 
the  Quai  du  Mont-Blanc  at  about  eleven  o  ciock. 
It  is  true  that  the  roads  were  perfectly  rideable, 
and  that  a  tour  even  around  the  whole  of  Lake 
Geneva  is  a  most  interesting  one.  At  the  same 
time,  on  such  a  trip  as  we  were  undertaking, 
one  gets  plenty  of  bicycling,  and  by  taking  a 
steamer  we  had  a  chance  to  see  l)oth  sides  of 
the  lake,  as  the  boat  touches  here  and  there 
at  ports  on  either  shore;  whereas  had  we  ridden 
to  Lausanne,  we  would  have  only  seen  the  lake 
from  one  side.  Besides  we  were  able  to  break- 
fast very  comfortably  on  board  and  found  the 
cuisine  excellent. 
The  following  is  an  account  of  an  excursion 

89 


around  the  lake  from  a  local  publication: 

"This  beautiful  excursion  is  generally  made 
on  the  spacious  steamboat  called  La  Suisse, 
which  leaves  the  Quai  du  Mont-Blanc  at  9 
o'clock  in  the  morning  and  returns  to  Geneva 
at  8  o'clock.  Return  tickets  are  issued  for  this 
excursion.  There  is  an  excellent  restaurant  on 
board  where  dinner  may  be  had  at  any  time. 

"The  steamboat  follows  at  first  the  Swiss  side 
of  the  lake,  passing  before  Coppet,  where  there 
is  the  chateau  of  Madame  de  Stael,  Nyon,  a  little 
town  in  the  Canton  de  Vaud  containing  a  pic- 
turesque chateau;   a  liitle  further  on,  at  Pran- 
gins,  there  is  the  house  and  estate  which  be- 
longed   to    Prince    Napoleon.     The    boat    now 
crosses   the  lake   and   touches   at   Thonon    and 
Evian  from  where  it  again  returns  to  the  Swiss 
side  and  stops  at  Ouchy  (funicular  tramway  up 
to  Lausanne).    Continuing  along  the  Swiss  side 
of  the  lake,  the  steamer  passes  before  Vevey, 
Montreux,  le  Chateau  de  Chillon  and  stops  at 
Villeneuve.    During  the  whole  of  this  part  of  the 
sail  visitors  will  be  able  to  admire  the  superb 
mountains  which  surround  the  lake,  the  Dents 
d'Oche,  the  Cornettes  de  Bise,  the  Grammont, 
and  farther  back  the  Dent  du  Midi  with  its  sev- 
en points. 

"This  excursion  may  also  be  made  in  another 
way.  I'ae  express  boat  may  be  taken  at  6 
o'clock,  at  half-past  ten  the  visitor  will  be  at 
Territet,  where  he  may  take  the  funicular  rail- 
way  lip   to   Glion   and   from  there  the  cogged- 

90 


wheel  railway  up  to  the  top  of  the  Rochers  de 
Naye,  at  an  altitude  of  about  2,044  metres,  or 
about  6,800  feet,  where  he  will  arrive  at  12 
o'clock.  The  view  is  superb  and  the  way  up 
most  interesting.  At  2  o'clock  the  train  must  be 
taken  again  down  to  Territet,  from  where  La 
Suisse  starts  at  3:30,  arriving  at  Geneva  at  8 
o'clock." 

There  is  no  use  to  attempt  to  describe  the 
beauties  of  the  scenery  by  which  Lake  Geneva 
is  environed.  It  is  known  as  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  lakes  in  the  world,  and  the  scene  from 
the  boat  was  such  a  lovely  one  that  Lou  de- 
clared she  believed  even  the  bicycles  enjoyed 
it.  It  was  still  early  in  the  afternoon  when  we 
arrived  at  Ouchy.  As  soon  as  we  were  fa.rly 
on  shore  we  mounted  our  bicycles  and,  instead 
of  climbing  up  the  steep  hill  which  leads  to 
Lausannfc,  we  set  out  on  the  road  which  winds 
along  the  ahore  of  the  lake  and,  exhilarated  by 
the  air  of  a  perfect  September  day,  wheeled 
along  at  a  pace  which  we  would  never  have 
dared  to  touch  during  the  epoch  of  cloudy 
weather  and  muddy  roads  which  we  had  so  far 
experienced. 

Our  destination  now  was  Montreux,  which  is 
known  as  the  Nice  of  Switzerland.  The  further 
we  rode  the  more  delightful  the  scenery  be- 
came. To  our  leit  were  sunny  slopes  covered 
with  vines  heavy  with  ripening  grapes  of  both 
the  light  and  dark  varieties.  To  the  right,  at 
our  feet,  were  the  pellucid  waters  of  the  lake 

91 


with  tlieir  peculiar  blue,  and  further  ahead  and 
to  the  right  again,  were  snow-capped  moun- 
tains which  seemed  in  the  sharper  contrast 
from  the  rich  verdure  and  ruddy  grapes  about 
us.  We  arrived  at  Montreux  about  six  o'clock 
in  the  evening. 

The  only  thing  which  provoked  Lou  during 
the  trip  was  the  fact  that  she  couldn't  get  any 
milk  that  was  not  boiled.  The  idea  that  one 
must  drink  boiled  milk  or  none  at  all  was  too 
much  for  her.  When  we  didn't  seem  to  sym- 
pathize enough  with  her  she  said  she  guessed 
we  would  appreciate  the  situation  better  if  we 
couldn't  get  anything  but  boiled  absinthe  or 
boiled  beer.  Even  at  Vevey,  a  popular  winter 
resort  for  foreigners,  I..OU  was  equally  unfortu- 
nate in  her  attempt  to  get  fresh  milk.  At  Mon- 
treux we  went  to  the  Hotel  du  Pare,  where  we 
had  an  excellent  table  d'hote  at  three  francs 
each,  and  wine  Included.  Our  rooms  afforded 
an  excellent  view  of  the  scenery  for  which  Mon- 
treux is  famous,  but  owing  to  the  popularity  of 
the  place  as  a  winter  resort  prices  ran  a  little 
higher  than  usual,  Joe  and  Lou  paying  five 
francs  for  their  room  while  I  got  off  for  four. 

It  had  been  our  intention  to  ride  on  from  here 
to  Fribourg,  but  when  we  learned  that  every 
bit  of  the  way  was  up  hill  and  that  even  the 
trains  required  two  engines  to  pull  themi  up  the 
incline  we  decided  to  take  the  train  ourselves, 
as  it  was  only  a  matter  of  something  more  than 
thirty  kilometers  and  the  fare  was  insignificant. 

92 


A    REI'Ki;SIII\C,    SWISS    WATKRI'AM.. 


The  fact  was  Lnu  had  confided  to  Joe  that  she 
was  afraid  she  would  get  bow-legged  if  she 
walked  up  too  many  hills,  and  Joe,  who  was  get- 
ting a  little  stout,  was  quite  as  ready  to  ride  as 
she  was,  though  he  made  her  believe  that  he 
only  consented  as  a  great  personal  sacrifice. 

If  there  had  been  a  person  of  average  intel- 
ligence at  Montreux  we  would  have  been  obliged 
to  ride  back  only  as  far  as  Chexbres,  just 
the  other  side  of  Vevey,  in  order  to  take  the 
train  which  passed  through  there  for  Fribourg 
about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  But  as 
it  was  we  were  told  we  would  have  to  ride 
away  back  to  Lausanne  over  the  road  which 
we  had  come  in  order  to  get  a  train  which  went 
to  Fribourg.  This  train  left  Lausanne  a  little 
after  two  o'clock  and  was  the  one  we  might 
nave  taken  at  Chexbres,  if  they  had  only  known 
enough  to  tell  us  about  it.  It  wasn't  that  we 
minded  going  over  that  route  again,  but  the 
difficulty  came  after  we  arrived  at  Ouchy,  where 
to  reach  Lausanne  we  had  to  climb  a 
hill  practically  impossible  to  ride,  being 
steep  and  about  six  kilometers  long.  As 
we  were  ascending  the  hill  a  woman  driv- 
ing a  horse  attached  to  a  sort  of  buck- 
board  and  which,  by  the  constant  use  of  the 
whip,  she  kept  at  a  lively  trot,  became  so 
lost  to  everything  else  in  her  contemplation  of 
Lou  that  she  nearly  ran  over  that  young  woman, 
much  to  the  latter's  indignation.  Once  at  the 
top  of  the  hill  at  Lausanne  one  is  rewarded  by 

94 


a  view  for  which  Lou  could  find  no  other  ex- 
pression than  "Simply  gorgeous!"  Still  we 
were  getting  so  used  to  lovely  views  that  it  is 
doubtful  whether  we  would  have  climbed  that 
hill  for  this  particular  one  if  we'd  known  about 
the  station  at  Chexbres.  As  we  had  more  than 
an  hour  on  our  hands  before  train  t^me  we  went 
to  the  Hotel  Terminus  for  our  breakfast. 

On  adding  up  the  check  Joe  noticed  that  the 
waiter  had  charged  us  one  franc  each  for  our 
coffee  and  cognac,  though  it  should  not  by  any 
possibility  have  been  more  than  ten  cents  or,  at 
most,  twelve  cents.  Joe  questioned  the  waiter 
and  then  asked  the  head  waiter  about  the 
charge.  Both  insisted  that  it  was  all  right,  and 
to  the  astonishment  of  Lou  and  myself  Joe  paid 
the  check  without  further  expostulation.  As 
soon  as  we  were  off  the  porch  Lou  turned  to  her 
husband  and  said:  "Can  we  never  make  a  trav- 
eler of  you?  Why  that  was  simply  extortion." 
"Never  mind,  my  dear,"  said  Joe,  quietly, 
showing  the  check.  "God  has  punished  the 
wicked  head  waiter;  he  forgot  to  mark  the  bot- 
tle of  wine  we  had." 

It  was  a  fact;  in  their  haste  to  charge  double 
price  for  the  coffee  and  cognac  they  had  for- 
gotten to  mark  down  our  bottle  of  wine  which, 
if  I  remember  rightly,  was  three  francs.  Any- 
way it  was  a  case  of  the  biter  bit. 

Our  tickets  to  Fribourg  were  something  like 
five  francs  each  and  as,  drawn  by  two  engines, 
the  train  puffed  slowly  up  the  incline  we  had 

95 


almost  as  good  a  chance  to  view  the  scenery 
as  we  would  have  had  if  we  had  been  pushing 
our  bicycles  on  foot,  particularly  as  we  had  one 
of  those  cars  so  often  found  in  Switzerland  in 
which  one  can  walk  from  one  end  to  the  other. 
At  Fribourg  we  merely  made  a  brief  tour  of  the 
town  on  our  l)icycles,  as  Joe  had  conceived  the 
idea  of  getting  to  a  little  Swiss  hamlet  called 
Noreaz.  This  place  was  the  home  of  an  old 
and  faithful  Swiss  valet  who  had  served  his 
family  a  long  time  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic. 
He  was  at  present  home  on  a  vacation  and  Joe 
had  promised  him  that  if  he  ever  rode  through 
Switzerland  he  would  look  him  up.  We  learned 
that  Noreaz  was  only  about  15  kilometers 
from  Fribourg  and  rode  there  over  a  series  of 
most  picturesque  by-paths  which  may  never  be- 
fore have  known  the  mark  of  a  foreigner's 
wheel.  As  we  approached  Noreaz,  which  is 
prettily  situated  half  way  up  tne  low  mountain, 
our  ears  were  greeted  by  the  sound  of  most 
peculiar  music. 

"It  sounds  like  a  xylophone,"  I  ventured. 

"It  is  the  Angelus,"  said  Lou  in  an  awed  tone. 

"It's  cows,"  said  Joe.     And  Joe  was  right. 

As  we  rounded  a  sharp  turn  there  in  the 
meadow  below  were  at  least  a  hundred  cattle 
gathered  in  for  the  night.  Each  one  wore  a 
bell  and  each  bell  was  of  a  different  size  and 
attuned  to  a  different  key.  The  effect  was  real- 
ly like  that  of  many  sets  of  chimes  rung  to- 
gether, so  Lou's  mistake  was  not  at  all  an  un- 
natural one. 

96 


Our  arrival  at  Noreaz,  a  place  of  some  one 
hundred  and  twenty  inhabitants,  created  a 
veritable  sensation  not  unmixed  with  conster- 
nation, if  one  may  judge  by  the  fact  that  one 
boy  dropped  a  pail  of  milk  and  another  fell  into 
the  watering  trough  just  at  the  sight  of  Lou. 
They  had  never  seen  a  woman  cyclist  before. 
But  as  for  Eugene,  the  faithful  dependent  whom 
we  had  come  to  look  up.  he  was  at  once  aston- 
ished and  overjoyed,  and  nothing  would  do  but 
that  we  must  come  with  him  and  break  bread 
and  drink  wine  under  the  family  roof.  It  was 
now  too  late  for  us  to  get  back  to  Fribourg  that 
night  so  we  were  lodged  in  the  little  chalet 
which  served  as  an  inn.  The  rooms  were  so 
low  that  one  couldn't  jump  for  joy  without  dan- 
ger of  a  fractured  skull,  but  the  roof  we  felt 
quite  certain  would  stay  on  during  the  night  at 
least,  because  it  was  held  down  by  several 
monster  rocks.  Lou  said  she  didn't  care  wheth- 
er it  blew  off  or  not  as  she  always  had  a  weak- 
ness for  astronomy  and  star-gazing  generally. 
The  view  from  the  chalet  was  superb,  or  at 
least  as  much  of  it  as  we  could  see  thi'ough  the 
lilliputian  windows. 

All  Noreaz  had  gathered  at  oui'  door  the  fol- 
lowing morning  to  see  us  start  haik  on  our  way 
to  Fribourg,  to  which  place  we  were  obliged  to 
return  before  setting  out  for  Berne,  about  thirty 
kilometers  from  Fribourg.  P"'ribourg,  as  I  have 
already  said.  Is  only  fifteen  kilometers  from 
Noreaz,   leaving  us  only   about  forty-five  kilo- 

97 


meters  for  the  day,  about  T^ou's  size,  although 
frequently  she  didn't  mind  sixty,  and  once  later 
on  in  Holland,  even  so  far  forgot  herself  as  to 
ride    one    hundred    without    noticing    it.       We 
found  Fribourg  in  gala  attire.     The  whole  pop- 
ulation had  turned  out  to  attend  the  trial  of 
a  man  who  had  murdered  the  station  master 
of  a  nearby  town.     Fribourg  is  an  interesting 
city   with    a   very    old    cathedral,     which     Lou 
wouldn't  go  into,   however,   declaring  sne  had 
rather  miss  a  picture  or  two  than  get  a  cold 
in  the  head.     By   the  way,   if  you   happen   to 
have  anybody  in  your  path  in  life  and  want  to 
get  rid  of  him,  just  get  him  to  cycle  witti  you 
in    Europe   during   the    hot   weather    and    then 
push  him  into  two  or  three  old  cathedrals  as 
you  go  by,  while  you  stay  outside  yourself. 

The  suspension  bridge  at  Fribourg  is  regard- 
ed as  a  great  engineering  feat  and  one  of  the 
sights  of  the  city.  We  had  to  cross  it  on  our 
way  to  Berne  and  found  the  view  on  the  middle 
of  it  very  fine. 

Once  over  the  bridge  and  up  a  short  hill  to 
the  left  we  found  the  road  to  Berne  excellent, 
though  the  scenery  wasn't  particularly  inter- 
esting. One  thing  we  noticed  in  this  district, 
and  in  fact  nearly  everywhere  throughout 
Switzerland,  was  the  great  number  of  women 
and  children  working  in  the  fields.  Very  few 
men  were  visible.  At  Berne  we  first  went  to  a 
hotel  marked  in  the  book  as  the  Touring  Club 
of  France  us  one  on  its  list.     Here  we  were  'ui- 

98 


o 
ai 

o 

S3 


o 

Q 

2 

S5 


X 

o 
z 

XT. 


able  to  follow  our  usual  tactics  as  there  were 
no  tables  outside.  However.  I  stayed  with  the 
bicycles  in  the  courtyard  while  Joe  and  Lou 
went  up  to  look  at  the  room,  'ihe  name  of  the 
hotel  was  the  Hotel  du  Falcon  and  when  Joe 
and  Lou  came  down  they  were  unanimous  mat 
they  wouldn't  have  the  room  at  any  price.  No 
attempt  was  made  to  prevent  our  exit,  though 
the  proprietor  from  the  moment  he  learned  our 
decision  treated  us  with  great  hauteur.  It  was 
now  quite  dark  and  it  was  drizzling  outside 
so  we  were  ready  to  take  almost  anything  that 
might  offer  for  the  night,  but  fortunately  tum- 
bled on  the  Hotel  Pfistern,  or  Hotel  des  Bou- 
langers,  as  it  is  also  known.  This  proved  to 
be  one  of  the  best  hotels  we  had  found  yet, 
though  a  little  higher  priced  than  many.  We 
paid  six  and  four  francs  respectively  for  our 
rooms.  The  restaurant  was  extremely  good  and 
the  prices  were  not  too  high. 

Lou  said  she  would  hate  to  be  in  the  um- 
brella ti-ade  in  Berne,  and  we  agreed  with  her. 
One  can  walk  up  and  down  the  sidewalks  of 
almost  any  of  the  streets  of  Berne  in  the  busi- 
ness part  of  the  town,  even  when  it  is  raining 
hard,  without  getting  in  the  least  wet.  The 
upper  par.  of  the  houses  are  built  out  over  the 
sidewalks  so  that  one  walks  along  a  continuous 
arcade  on  the  inner  side  of  which  are  the  shop 
windows,  while  in  the  archways  which  occur 
every  few  feet  are  open  counters  and  tables 
covered  with  every  knick-knack  and  gew-gaw 
peculiar  to  the  country. 

]00 


•A 

■A 

A 


O 


p5 

o 
Pi 

Hi 


One  of  the  interesting  sights  of  Berne  is  the 
clock  tower  with  a  clock  which  strikes  every 
quarter  of  an  hour.  From  the  suspension 
bridge  one  has  an  excellent  view  of  the  Jung- 
frau.  Then,  of  course,  Berne  wouldn't  be  Berne 
without  its  bear  pit,  which  has  existed  there 
for  many,  many  generations  until  the  bears 
have  become  much  more  important  in  Berne 
than  the  aldermen  are  at  New  York.  It  is  real- 
ly doubtful  whether  Berne  could  get  along  with- 
out her  bears,  while  New  York — but  never  mind 
that.  One  thing  we  all  noticed  about  Berne 
was  its  unusual  number  of  really  nandsome 
women.  In  fact,  we  saw  more  good-looking 
women  there  than  anywhere  else  on  any  of 
our  tours,  'ihey  were  not  only  fine  looking  but 
of  superb  physique  and  brimming  over  with 
healtli  and  spirits.  Lou  said  that  she  has  a 
suspicion  that  that  is  why  we  found  Berne  in- 
teresting enough  to  keep  us  there  three  days 
in  spite  of  fine  weather.  But  then,  Lou  doesn't 
mean  all  that  she  says. 

The  guide  book  states  that  ninety-five  per 
cent,  of  the  inhabitants  of  Berne  are  German 
and  that  only  five  per  cent,  speak  French.  If 
this  is  the  case  we  must  have  met  someone  who 
belonged  to  that  five  per  cent,  whenever,  as  fre- 
quently happened,  we  were  obliged  to  enquire 
our  way  or  seek  other  information;  for  nearly 
every  well-dressed  person  whom  we  accosted 
spoke  at  least  a  little  French,  and  in  one  or 
two  instances  we  met  natives  who  were  anxious 

102 


to  try  their  alleged  English  on  us.  At  last  we 
managed  to  tear  ourselves  away  from  Berne 
with  its  bears  and  other  manifold  attractions, 
and  set  out  for  Th\in.  an  interesting  old  tow'n 
at  the  head  of  Lake  Thun,  only  thirty  kilo- 
meters away.  The  road  was  very  direct  and 
the  wheeling  good,  though  there  was  nothing 
particularly  thrilling  in  the  scenery. 

On  arriving  at  Thun  we  gave  our  bicycles 
into  the  charge  of  the  l)icycle  dealer  of  the 
town  to  be  thoroughly  cleaned  and  looked  over 
generally.  We  found  very  good  quarters  at  the 
Hotel  Freienhof,  near  what  is  known  as  the 
Jardin  Anglais.  .Joe's  room  cost  the  usual  Ave 
francs,  while  I  got  off  for  three;  the  table 
d'hote  dinner  cost  only  two  francs  each.  The 
next  morning  there  was  so  much  delay  in  get- 
ting our  bill  ready  that  we  took  all  our  bag- 
gage and  went  to  the  place  where  we  had  left 
our  bicycles.  There  was  nothing  to  prevent  our 
leaving  without  settling  with  our  host  but  tnat 
fact  didn't  disturb  him  in  the  least,  and  it  is 
true  that  in  nearly  any  part  of  Europe  Ameri- 
can and  English  tourists  share  the  confidence 
of  tradesmen  and  hotel  people  to  a  degree  that 
native  customers  can  never  hope  to  enjoy. 
After  we  had  gone  back  and  settled  our  bill  we 
set  out  for  Interlaken  along  the  upper  or  left 
hand  side  of  the  lake  of  Thun,  going  towards 
that  place.  Here  we  were  most  agreeably  sur- 
prised Ijy  a  bit  of  landscape  which  had  not 
perhaps  been  equaled  since  we  began  our  ride. 

104 


The  road  all  along  the  way  was  perfect  for 
wheeling:  with  the  exception  of  one  hill  which 
we  had  to  climb  it  was  mostly  down  grade.  At 
places  the  road  was  almost  entirely  overhung 
with  great  crags  and  ledges  of  rock,  and  every 
now  and  then  our  way  led  through  tunnels 
cut  through  the  rocks  sometimes  a  hundred 
yards  in  length.  These  holes  through  bits  of 
mountain  must  have  been  dug  at  great  expense 
but  were  made  absolutely  necessary  by  the 
character  of  the  country.  They  were  invaria- 
bly dripping  with  moisture  and  quite  dark  in 
The  middle.  At  first  we  approached  them  with 
catition  and  no  little  anxiety  but  after  iiaving 
passed  several  and  found  the  road  bed  secure 
we  rode  with  more  confidence.  To  leave  the 
warm  sunshine  outside,  disappear  into  one  of 
these  subterranean  passages  only  to  emerge 
into  the  daylight  at  the  other  end,  gave  one 
a  very  odd  but  quite  enjoyable  sensation.  In 
fact,  I  think  we  all  remembered  that  ride  from 
Thun  to  Interlaken,  after  the  trip  was  over,  as 
one  of  our  jolliest  experiences.  We  wheeled 
into  Interlaken  shortly  after  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon.  It  was  on  the  26th  of  Septem- 
ber and  as  that  happened  to  be  Sunday  the 
streets  were  filled  with  merry-makers,  who 
were  only  too  giad  to  enjoy  the  perfect  weather 
after  the  rains  which  had  prevailed  earlier  in 
the  month. 


105 


CHAPTER    X. 


?^ 


Across  the  Grimsel. 


F  course,  at  Interlaken,  as  at  Gene- 
va, there  was  no  lack  of  first-class 
hotels,  but  as  we  were  on  a  bicycle 
trip,  pure  and  simple,  anything  in 
the  way  of  display  was  exactly 
what  l^ou  wanted  to  avoid.  Therefore,  accord- 
ing to  our  custom,  we  rode  about  the  town  for 
an  hour  or  so.  stopping  at  the  cafes  of  several 
hotels  before  we  finally  made  our  selection.  The 
hotel  we  picked  out  as  the  result  of  our  inves- 
tigation was  the  Hotel  Bernerhof,  where  we  got 
rooms  affording  us  an  excellent  view  of  the 
Jungfrau.  At  this  hotel  we  made  an  arrange- 
ment differing  a  little  from  our  usual  plan.  We 
were  to  have  our  rooms  with  the  cafe  au  lait 
served  in  them,  together  with  a  table  d'hote 
dinner  at  night,  with  wine.  Our  solid  break- 
fast, or  dejeuner  a  la  fourchette,  we  were  to 
take  a  la  carte,  either  at  the  hotel  or  elsewhere 
as  we  pleased.  This  enabled  us  to  ride  out  after 
cafe  au  lait  and  take  breakfast  anywhere  we 
liked  without  being  obliged  to  pay  for  another 
at  the  hotel.     This  made  our  expenses  individ- 


lOf! 


^■^■^ 


X 


ky'^-m?^m 


'I'm.  i 


I   : 

J       •*«■  J 


^  m^^Mn'i    III 


.^^^  :^^ 


5*%.^|^  .:  J..  j.->.  »j^. 


r«?f^- 


w 

I— I 


5- 
O 


ually  less  than  eight  francs  a  day,  with  every- 
thing included,  wliicli,  besides  being  very  cheap 
for  Interlaken,  gave  us  absolute  freedom  as  to 
our  movements.  The  proprietor  of  the  hotel 
spoke  both  French  and  English. 

The  Sunday  night  of  our  arrival  we  went  to 
the  Kursaal,  where  we  listened  to  excellent 
music,  besides  doing  a  little  mild  gambling  at 
a  game  somethingonthe  order  of  the  petits  che- 
vaux  except  that  a  little  railroad  train,  instead 
of  the  horses,  runs  around  the  circle  and  stops 
at  one  of  the  stations  marked  on  the  board. 
These  stations  bear  the  names  of  the  princi- 
pal capitals  of  Europe,  and  as  there  are  eight  of 
them,  and  as  you  are  only  paid  six  for  one  in 
case  you  happen  to  guess  rightly  which  station 
the  train  is  going  to  stop  at,  it  will  be  readily 
seen  that  it  is  a  hard  game  to  beat. 

The  next  morning  we  spent  in  mousing 
around  Interlaken,  where  Lou  picked  up  lots  of 
little  trinkets  in  the  way  of  souvenirs.  When 
Lou  began  to  buy  things  it  was  always  a  matter 
of  congratulation  to  Joe  that  she  was  travel- 
ing on  a  l)icycle  and  couldn't  carry  much  with 
her.  In  the  afternoon  we  rode  on  our  wheels 
to  Lauterbrunnen  through  the  mysterious  val- 
ley entirely  shut  in  by  mountains,  to  get  a 
glimpse  of  the  famous  waterfall,  an  unceasing 
stream  pouring  over  the  picturesque  cliff  on  the 
mountain  above  the  road.  Here  again ,  we  got 
the  effect  of  that  same  weird  music  which  had 
attracted  our  attention  at  Noreaz;  but  this  time 

108 


PICTURKSCJll';   STAIHAC  n    iwr.i.s. 


the  bells  were  attached  to  goats,  not  to  cattle. 
The  road  to  L,aiiterbrunnen  is  only  a  little  more 
than  fifteen  kilometers,  and  if  one  does  have  to 
climb  a  slight  rise  all  the  way  in  getting  there, 
one  has  a  glorious  coast  back.  The  next  day 
we  had  planned  to  go  and  visit  one  of  the 
glaciers  on  the  Jungfrau.  To  do  this  we  bought 
tickets  to  Grindewald.  The  tickets  cost  only 
something  like  60  cents  and  the  distance  was 
only  twenty-three  kilometers,  though  it  takes 
the  train  about  two  nours  to  make  the  trip.  Of 
course  anyone  could  ride  on  one's  wheel  to 
Grindewald,  but  I  should  advise  against  doing 
so,  for,  besides  arriving  in  a  heavy  perspiration, 
the  system  could  not  fail  to  be  more  or  less 
exhausted  after  that  hard  and  continuous  as- 
cent, and  one  would  be  in  no  condition  to  take 
the  walk  over  the  snow  and  ice  of  the  glacier, 
and  penetrate  the  great  ice  cave  cut  nearly  a 
hundred  yards  through  the  solid  ice  of  the 
glacier.  Therefore,  we  went  by  train,  and  at 
Grindewald  took  horses  and  a  guide  for  our 
visit  to  the  grotto  with  its  mysterious  recesses 
and  weird  echoes,  and  later  to  the  lower  glacier 
and  that  wondrous  cave  through  the  solid  ice. 
This  is  a  most  enjoyable  trip  and  should  not  be 
missed  by  anyone  who  goes  to  Interlaken.  As 
for  Lou,  she  was  perfectly  delighted  and  de- 
clared if  she  ever  rode  horseback  again  she 
would  do  it  in  her  bicycle  costume.  The  guide 
and  two  horses  cost  Joe  sixteen  francs.  I  pre- 
ferred to  walk.  This  price  was  a  little  lower 
than  usual  as  the  season  was  over. 

110 


^1 


in 

S 
OS 

< 
X 
tj 

K 


We   had    learned    on   our   arrival    that   nearly 
everyone  had  left  Interlaken  about  the  fifteenth 
of  the  month,  disgusted  with  the  continued  wet 
weather,  that  the  Grimsel  pass  over  which  we 
proposed  to  go  on  our  way  into  Italy  had  been 
closed   l)y   the   snow   and   that  diligence   traffic 
over  this  pass  always  closes  on  September  15. 
But  such  delightful  weather  had  prevailed  dur- 
ing and  several  days  prior  to  our  arrival  that 
we  were  informed  if  we  would  wait  a  day  or  two 
very  likely  the  pass  would  be  open  again  and 
we  could  cross  it  in  a  carriage  from  Meiringen. 
Therefore,  on  September  29,  when  word  came 
that  the  pass  was  again  clear  we  shipped  our 
trunks  to  Milan  by  the  petite  vitesse  and  start- 
ed along  the  shore  of  Lake  Brienz  for  the  town 
of  Brienz  at  the  further  end   of  the  lake,   less 
than    twenty  kilometers    away.     Interlaken,    in 
fact,  gets  its  name  from  its  position  between  the 
lake  of  Thun  and  the  lake  of  Brienz.    The  road 
from  Interlaken  to  Brienz  was  excellent  but  the 
scenery   was   hardly   as   fine    as   that    between 
Thun   and  Interlaken.     Arriving  at  Brienz   we 
found  that   we  could  get  a  one-horse  carriage 
to   take    us    across   the    Grimsel    for    forty-five 
francs,  but  we  thought  we  might  as  well  ride 
along  the  fifteen  kilometres  that  separated  us 
from  Meiringen,  as  a  carriage  from  there  would 
be  cheaper,  and  besides  we  hadn't  had  riding 
enough  for  the  day. 

We  arrived  at  this  point  and  found  the  Hotel 
Brunig  quite  a  resort  for  American  and  English 

112 


CIS 


2 

I— > 

w 
a 
ft 


K 


people,  about  a  dozen  of  whom  still  lingered  on 
although  the  season  was  over.  Many  of  the  la- 
dies came  to  table  d'hote  dinner  in  more  or 
less  of  evening  dress,  but  that  didn't  bother 
Lou,  for  she  was  quite  at  home  in  her  short 
skirt  and  said  she  knew  all  the  rest  of  them 
were  envying  her.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  judging 
from  the  conversation  at  the  table,  every  mem- 
ber of  that  little  company  bicycled,  from  grand- 
pa, who  sat  at  its  head,  to  the  youngest  child, 
a  pretty  little  English  girl  about  ten  years  old. 
Prices  here  were  about  the  same  as  elsewhere, 
Joe  and  Lou  paying  only  four  francs  for  their 
room.  The  dinner  though,  was  three  francs 
for  each  person,  without  wine.  However,  we 
got  a  bottle  of  excellent  Beaujolais  for  three 
francs. 

That  night  we  made  an  arrangement  with  a 
man  who  owned  a  one-horse  carriage  to  take  us 
up  the  Grimsel  pass  the  next  day  for  thirty- 
five  francs.  He  would  have  taken  two  persons 
for  thirty.  It  was  arranged  that  we  should 
start  at  8:30  the  next  morning.  When  we  came 
down  we  found  the  bicycles  artistically  attached 
to  the  back  of  the  carriage  by  ropes  and  sup- 
poi-ted  by  boards.  They  were  so  arranged  that 
there  was  little  or  no  strain  on  them.  The  car- 
riage was  one  of  the  landau  pattern.  After  a 
cup  of  coffee  we  started  on  our  long  journey  up 
the  pass.  The  distance,  all  told,  was  about 
thirty  kilometers  and  the  horse  could  only  aver- 
age about  four  kilometers  an  hour.    We  were  to 

114 


breakfast  at  Handegg,  where  we  we/e  due  about 
noon.  I  think  that  if  I  were  doing  it  over  again, 
and  particularly  if  there  were  no  ladies  in  the 
party,  I  would  advise  keeping  on  with  the  bi- 
cycles as  far  as  Handegg,  as  part  of  the  road  to 
that  point  is  rideable  and  one  could  make  much 
better  than  four  kilometers  an  hour  up  to  that 
point.  After  breakfasting  at  Handegg,  where 
we  submitted  to  some  mild  extortion  owing  to 
the  lack  of  competition,  we  set  out  again  for  the 
top  of  the  pass.  The  trip  through  one  of  these 
passes  is  always  wonderful  and  beautiful,  and 
the  journey  through  the  Grimsel  was  extremely 
picturesque,  the  fans  at  Handegg  being  espe- 
cially noticeable. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  top  of  the  pass  our 
driver  who  spoke  neither  English  nor  French, 
drevsr  up  his  horse  and,  having  received  his 
money,  began  unfastening  the  bicycles.  Then, 
with  one  sweep  of  his  hand  toward  the  left  and 
indicating  a  mass  of  white  snow  and  ice  he  said, 
"Rhona  glacier;"  then,  pointing  toward  the 
right,  he  pronounced  the  words  "Mtmster — 
Brigue."     With  that  he  was  gone. 

We  now-  found  ourselves  in  a  rather  peculiar 
position.  It  was  nearly  five  o'clock  and  night 
was  not  far  off.  We  were  so  high  on  the 
mountain  tor"  that  the  clouds  were  settling 
about  us  and  it  began  to  rain;  before  us  lay  that 
terribly  steep  zig-zag  path  down  the  mountain, 
covered  here  and  there  ])y  sharp-pointed  b  -oken 
stones  with  which  the  roal  laborers  had  filled 

115 


in  mud  holes,  and  elsewhere,  by  larger  l)its  of 
rotk,  which,  freed  from  their  position  by  the 
melting  snow,  had  roUcd  from  the  crags  above. 

This  was  the  sort  of  roadway  whicli  confront- 
ed us,  and  to  its  right  lay  a  precipice  witn  an 
awful  descent  of  hundreds  of  feet  to  the  rocks 
below,  with  nothing  between  us  and  its  edge 
save  a  number  of  stone  posts  about  two  feet 
high  at  intervals  of  thirty  feet.  It  was  a 
hard  road  for  any  man  to  undertake,  let  alone 
a  woman,  bui  i.ou  wouldn't  hear  of  walking,  so 
we  all  looked  to  sec  that  our  biakes  were  in 
good  condition  and  warned  I^ou  under  no  cir- 
cumstances to  let  her  wheel  get  beyond  her 
control;  if  she  found  it  was  doing  so  to  put  on 
her  brake  hard  and  l)ack  pedal  with  all  her 
might  and  then,  if  she  still  felt  any  doubt  as 
to  her  ability  to  stop  her  machine,  to  promptly 
fall  off  before  it  had  a  chance  to  run  away  with 
her.  Having  taken  these  precautions  we  set 
out.  not  without  misgivings  but  with  a  feeling 
that  something  must  be  done.  After  the  first 
two  kilometers  we  were  out  of  the  rain  but  the 
road  grew  no  better.  Yet  every  time  that  Joe 
and  I,  who  were  in  advance,  called  back  to  Lou 
she  replied  that  she  was  all  right. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  mountain,  and  in  fact 
during  the  last  part  of  the  descent,  the  road 
was  not  too  steep  for  comfortable  riding,  but 
as  it  was  already  growing  dark  and  as  Brigue 
was  still  fifty  kilometers  away  we  had  to  give 
up    all    idea,    of   course,    of   getting   there    that 

116 


night,  ijut  we  did  manage  to  make  Munster. 
though  we  rode  the  last  three  kilometers  in  a 
heavy  shower  which  had  come  up  suddenly.  It 
was  quite  uark  when  we  reached  this  tcwn 
and  we  now  found  ourselves  among  people  wao 
could  speak  practically  nothing  but  German. 

At  the  Hotel  de  la  Croix  d'Or  et  Poste,  a  hotel 
of  unusual  excellence  for  so  small  a  place,  we 
found,  however,  a  young  woman  who  spoke 
French  quite  well.  We  had  a  fire  Iniilt  in  the 
parlor  for  us,  and  a  couple  of  hot  drinks  and  a 
good  dinner  made  us  all  feel  better.  The  prices 
were  about  the  same  as  usual,  only  the  rooms 
being  cheaper.  I  was  charged  two  francs  for 
my  room,  while  Joe  paid  three.  The  weather 
being  fair  the  next  morning  we  rode  on  to 
Fiesch,  a  little  more  than  twenty  kilometers 
from  Munster.  Here  we  breakfasted  at  the 
Hotel  du  Glacier  et  Poste.  The  check  for  the 
three  of  us  amounted  only  to  eight  francs,  in- 
cluding wine,  coffee  and  cognac.  The  road  from 
here  to  Brigue  was  still  down  hill  and  we  made 
perhaps  the  fastest  time  on  the  trip  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  several  drivei's  of  diligences  made 
frantic  attempts  to  run  over  us  or  force  us  off 
the  road.  Throughout  Switzerland  cyclists  will 
notice  this  desire  to  kill  cyclists  which  every 
unigence  driver  seems  to  noui-isli  within  nis 
breast. 

At  Brigue,  after  making  our  usual  reconnoi- 
tres, we  finally  went  to  the  Hotel  D'Angleterre, 
where  we  found  the  prices  ranged  a  little  high- 

117 


er  Lhau  eustomary  but  here  again  our  touring 
club  card  dia  us  good  service,  securing  for  Joe 
and  Lou  tlie  best  room  in  tlie  house  for  four 
francs,  while  I  had  a  much  smaller  apartment 
and  paid  the  same  price.  The  dinners  here 
were  3  francs  50  centimes,  without  wine, 
but  wine  was  included  with  ours  as  a  special 
concession. 

We  found  that  to  get  across  the  Simplon  pass, 
or,  that  is,  to  be  taken  up  to  the  Hospice,  would 
cost  with  a  one-horse  carriage  twenty  francs. 
But  as  we  thought  we  would  be  more  comfort- 
able with  two  horses,  and  as  that  cost  only  ten 
francs  more,  we  made  this  arrangement. 

The  ride  up  the  Simplon  was  quite  as  beauti- 
ful as  that  across  the  Grimsel,  and  this  time, 
when  our  driver  left  us  at  I'Hospice,  the  sun 
was  shining.  This  building  was  erected  by  the 
great  Napoleon  for  the  care  of  his  soldiers  dur- 
ing his  first  descent  on  Italy  ana  is  now  occu- 
pied as  a  monastery.  I  had  heard  much  of  the 
hospitality  or  its  inmates,  but  we  searched  it 
from  top  to  bottom  without  being  able  to  bring 
to  light  a  single  monk,  mucu  to  Lou's  disap- 
pointment. 

The  descent  from  I'Hospice  is  much  less  diffi- 
cult to  negotiate  than  on  the  Grimsel— from  the 
effects  of  which,  by  the  way,  we  were  still  suf- 
fering, our  legs  being  stiff  from  back  pedaling, 
as  if  we  had  taken  a  long  ride  for  the  first  time 
in  the  season.  Our  hands,  too,  were  stiff  and 
cramped  from  where  we  had   used   the  brake. 

118 


^Londres 


I'KOM    HRICUI-;   TO    MII.AX,    CIvXOA    AND    NICl':. 


From  I'Hospice  we  had  a  delightful  ride  down 
to  the  town  of  Simplon,  where  we  got  an  excel- 
lent breakfast  at  the  Hotel  de  la  Poste  which,  in 
spite  of  its  unpretentious  appearance,  is  well 
kept. 

Soon  after  leaving  Simplon  we  began  to  real- 
ize that  Consul  Ridgley  was  right  in  speaking 
of  this  route  in  the  terms  of  highest  praise.  If 
there  is  any  more  beautiful  bicycle  trip  it  isn't 
to  be  found  in  the  same  sort  of  country.  One 
might  prefer  a.  ride  through  miles  of  orange 
gi'oves,  or  perhaps  one's  taste  might  run  to 
the  fragrant  paths  of  a  pine  forest,  or  even  the 
carefully  kept  cycle  paths  of  the  Bois  du  Bou- 
logne, but  for  a  trip,  or  rather  a  coast  on  a 
bicycle,  alongside  of  rushing  mountain  streams 
in  a  narrow  gorge  where  the  rugged  splendor  of 
the  surrounding  scenery  almost  awes  you,  one 
might  search  the  world  over  and  l.nd  nothing 
to  equal  that  coast  from  the  Simplon  across  the 
Italian  frontier  to  Domo  d'Ossola. 


120 


CHAPTER    XL 


First  Impressions  of  Italy. 

LL  this  route  from  the  Simplon 
down  is  in  the  nature  of  one  long 
coast  and  only  two  things  inter- 
fered with  our  making  twenty-five 
kilometers  an  hour.  '  ne  was  the 
fact  that  in  places  where  the  sun's  rays  had 
been  unable  to  reach  there  was  more  or  less 
mud,  and  the  other  was  Lou's  tendency  to  keep 
us  dismounting  about  every  fifteen  minutes 
while  she  had  a  chance  to  admire  at  her  leisure 
some  peculiarly  striking  bit  of  nature's  haudi- 
work.  About  half  way  between  Simplon  and 
Domo  d'Ossola  we  crossed  the  frontier  at  a 
small  place  named  Gordo.  We  could  tell  pretty 
surely  when  we  were  nearing  the  frontier  by 
the  sentry  boxes  with  solitary  sentinels  which 
we  remarked  here  and  there  before  reaching 
Gordo  itself.  At  the  custom  office  we  were 
politely  received  by  an  officer  in  uniform,  who 
took  oui'  cards  to  a  clerk  at  a  desk  inside.  The 
cards  were  scrutinized  carefully  enough,  but 
little  care  was  taken  in  comparing  the  numbers 
and     names     on     the     cards     with     those     on 

121 


the  machines  and  as  all  our  wheels 
were  somewhat  spattered  with  mud  I  have 
my  doubts  whether  the  custom  house  offi- 
cials saw  tne  artistic  133  which  Joe  had  so  care- 
fully cut  in  Lou's  machine.  Anyway  we  com- 
plied with  all  the  formalities  and  on  the  pay- 
ment of  twenty-four  cents  each  we  got  our  re- 
ceipts of  entry  and  went  on  our  way  rejoicing. 
On  our  receipts  the  name  of  the  town  was 
stamped  Gondo  but  all  the  maps  give  it  Gordo. 
It  was  nearly  six  o'clock  when  we  entered  the 
pretty  town  of  Domo  d'Ossola.  Our  first  at- 
tempt at  a  hotel  did  not  prove  a  success.  The 
house  was  attractive  in  exterior  appearance  but 
as  the  waiters,  the  chambermaids,  the  porters, 
the  stable  boys,  the  cooks,  together  with  the 
proprietor,  his  wife  and  lour  aaughters  all  gath- 
ered around  us  at  once  and  gibbered  away  in 
Italian  we  concluded  it  was  no  place  for  us 
and  fled  incontinently,  even  leaving  the  refresh- 
ments which  we  had  orderea  untasted  on  the 
table.  Further  along,  in  the  center  of  the  town, 
we  found  a  less  pretentious  hotel  known  as  the 
Albergo  Manini,  the  proprietor  of  which  had 
only  two  waiters  and  the  good  sense  to  speak 
French.  Here  Joe  and  Lou  got  very  good  rooms 
for  three  francs,  while  I  didn't  fare  at  all  badly 
and  only  paid  two.  Among  the  changes  that  ve 
began  to  r:mark  was  that  the  rooms  no  longer 
had  two  beds.  In  fact,  no  room  of  average  size 
would  have  the  space  for  two  ordinary  Italian 
beds.     I  hardly  dare  to  say  how  large  they  are, 

122 


but  think  I'm  safe  in  stating  that  they  are 
larger  than  billiard  tables,  and  not  so  large  as 
lawn  tennis  courts.  To  get  as  near  as  possible 
the  exact  dimensions  I  should  say  they  ran 
from  seven  to  ten  feet  wide.  Among  the  other 
odd  things  that  we  noticed  immediately  after 
our  advent  in  Italy  was  a  custom,  altogether  too 
common,  of  serving  the  soup  after  the  fish, 
and  cold  meats  after  the  entrees  and  roasts 
had  been  eaten.  Lou  said  it  wo'uld  not  surprise 
her  a  bit  to  get  her  oysters  after  her  ice  cream 
if  that  sort  of  thing  kept  on. 

We  also  noticed  that  when  an  Italian  wanted 
to  light  hiS  cigar  after  dinner  the  waiter  would 
bring  him  a  lighted  candle  to  which  an  iron 
support  was  attached  by  a  ring  sliding"  up  and 
down  the  candle  itself.  On  this  support  the 
smoker  would  lay  his  cigar — generally  about 
eight  inches  in  length — with  its  end  in  the  flame 
and  let  it  burn  away  there  for  about  five  min- 
utes before  he  began  to  puff  on  it.  I^ou  said 
that  she  thought  fried  cigars  must  he  just  as 
bad  as  boiled  milk.  We  were  also  rather  dis- 
appointed in  the  Italian  grape.  We  had  always 
supposed  that  if  you  were  going  to  get  good 
grapes  anywhere  it  would  be  in  Italy,  but  so 
far  as  we  could  see  they  were  very  little  better 
than  can  be  had  in  the  south  of  France.  The 
Italians  have  one  sensible  custom,  though, 
about  serving  grapes.  They  never  bring  a 
bunch  of  grapes  to  the  table  without  giving  you 
a  large  bowl  to  wash  them  in. 

12.3 


So  attractive  did  we  find  Domo  u'Ossoia  that 
we  spent  two  nights  there.  Wheeling  in  the 
neighborhood  was  excellent  and  the  table  at  the 
hotel  very  good.  The  dinners  at  the  Albergo 
Manini  were  three  francs  with  wine,  a  very  fair 
red  wine  of  the  country.  On  October  4  we 
started  out  on  our  joui-ney  toward  iviilan,  with 
a  letter  of  recommendation  from  the  proprietor 
of  the  hotel  to  his  father,  who  kept  a  hotel  at 
Orta. 

We  had  planned  to  breakfast  at  Omegna.  about 
half  way  to  Orta,  which  was  some  forty  kilo- 
meters from  Domo  d  Ossola,  but  when  we  got 
as  far  as  Omegna  we  breakfasted  so  late  that 
we  decided  to  spend  the  night  there,  particularly 
as  the  sky  looked  overcast  and  Lou,  who  had 
had  her  haii'  curled  before  leaving  Domo 
d'Ossola,  declared  that  she  didn't  want  to  take 
the  chance  of  another  wetting.  At  Omegna  we 
went  to  the  Albergo  Croce  Bianca.  Here  the 
price  of  rooms  dropped  for  joe  and  Lou  to 
three  francs,  or  I  should  say  three  lire,  wLich 
is  equivalent  to  about  the  same  thing,  though 
really  a  little  bit  less.  I  paid  two  lire.  The 
dinners  were  three  lire  each.  The  next  day  we 
spent  roaming  around  the  country  and  in  the 
afternoon  rode  to  Orta  at  the  foot  of  a  beauti- 
ful little  lake  of  that  name.  Here  we  found  the 
Hotel  du  Lion  d'Or.  charmingly  situated  and  the 
prices  as  usual.  We  should  have  litvcd  to  linger 
there  longer  but  we  felt  that  we'd  never  get  to 
Milan    if   we   kept   on    spending   two   or    three 

124 


clays  at  each  place  that  we  found  particularly 
attractive. 

The  night  of  October  (j  found  us  riding  into 
Arena,  a  town  of  about  four  thousand  inhafci- 
tants  at  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake  Mag- 
giore.  After  looking  the  hotels  over  we  con- 
cluded that  none  of  them  amounted  to  mucn 
and  finally  settled  at  the  ••Albergo  Ristorante 
Ruffoni."  Gia'  Falcone,  ihis  hotel  had  an  ex- 
cellent view  of  the  lake  and,  though  of  decided- 
ly modest  pretentions,  proved  to  be  perfectly 
comfortable.  Here  again  Joe  only  paid  three 
lire  while  I  escaped  for  two.  We  had  planned 
to  stay  several  days  at  Arona  in  order  to 
make  a  tour  of  the  lake  on  one  of  the  lake 
steamers  which  cruise  from  point  to  point  on 
either  side  of  this  beautiful  sheet  of  water.  As 
we  were  riding  around  Arona,  the  afternoon  of 
our  arrival.  Lou  noticed  the  sign  of  a  bath  es- 
tablishment and  after  we  had  left  our  things 
at  the  hotel  she  announced  that  she  was  going 
back  to  get  a  good  hot  bath.  She  was  gone 
about  fifteen  minutes  and  returned  looking  dis- 
gusted. 

"What's  the  matter?"  said  .loe. 

"Would  you  believe  it."  said  Lou.  "that  old 
woman  who  I'uns  that  bath  establishment  said 
that  if  I  wanted  to  take  a  hot  bath  I  must  let 
her  know  the  day  before  so  that  she  coiild  get 
the  fires  lighted  to  heat  the  water?" 

"How  do  you  know  she  said  that?"  asked  Joe. 

"Oh,  she  didn't  speak  such  bad  French,"  said 

125 


Lou.  "and  she  seemed  quite  surprised  t'K.t  1 
should  find  anything  unusual  in  being  obliged 
to  give  twenty-four  hours'  notice  of  my  inten- 
tion to  take  a  bath." 

Next  day  we  took  a  steamer  and  went  up  the 
lake  as  far  as  Isola  Bella,  where  there  is  a  most 
interesting  palace  belonging  to  one  of  the  oldest 
families  of  the  Italian  nobility.  This  trip  on 
the  Lake  Maggiore  is  something  that  no  one 
who  passes  through  Arona,  or  is  even  as  near 
as  Milan,  should  miss. 

After  another  day's  tour  in  the  neighborhood, 
both  by  boat  and  wheel,  we  set  out  for  Milan 
by  the  way  of  Gallarate  and  Legnano.  This 
made  a  ride  of  sixty-five  kilometers. 

En  route,  however,  we  stopped  at  a  place 
called  Lorenzo  to  get  breakfast  and  there  Lou 
got  it  into  her  head  that  her  hind  tire  wasn't 
blown  up  tight  enough  to  suit  her  ideas  of 
rigiuity.  Joe  and  I  managed  to  pump  it  up  for 
her  but  in  some  way  or  another  something  hap- 
pened to  the  valve  and  our  united  ingenuity 
could  not  make  the  air  3tay  in  that  blessed  tire. 
So  there  we  were,  more  than  twenty  kilometers 
from  Milan  with  Lou's  wheel  in  an  unrideable 
condition.  No  one  about  the  place  spoke  any- 
tuing  but  Italian,  but  Joe  got  out  his  pocket 
dictionary  and  carried  on  a  long  conversation 
with  one  Italian  more  intelligent  than  the  rest, 
who  made  us  understand  that  in  about  an  hour 
a  steam  tramway  would  pass  the  door  which 
would  take  us  right  into  the  city,  bicycles  and 

126 


all,  for  twenty  cents  apiece.  Then  we  felt  bet- 
ter and  had  breakfast.  By  the  way,  if  you  are 
afflicted  by  a  large  appetite  and  a  small  pocket- 
book,  go  to  Lorenzo,  Italy,  and  become  a 
boarder  at  the  Ristorante  Dell  'Angelo.  The 
breakfast  for  us  three  cost  fifty-nine  cents, 
which  was  divided  up  in  this  way:  Wine  eight 
cents,  bread  four  cents,  an  enormous  plate  of 
fried  potatoes  sixteen  cents,  milk  and  butter  for 
Lou  twelve  cents,  a  large  plate  of  chops  s.xteen 
cents,  one  pony  of  kummel  three  cents.  This 
certainly  was  cheap  enough  and  we  had  more 
than  we  wanted. 

Naturally  we  were  all  somewhat  disappointed 
in  not  being  able  to  ride  into  Milan,  but  felt  that 
we  were  very  fortunate  to  have  the  tramway  so 
near  at  hand,  and,  although,  when  we  were  once 
on  board  we  were  carried  along  pretty  fast,  we 
got  a  fair  view  of  the  country,  which  wasn't 
nearly  as  interesting  to  us  as  the  people.  On 
leaving  the  car  the  first  thing  we  did  was  to 
look  up  a  repairer  of  bicycles  and  he  soon  had 
Lou's  machine  in  running  order.  We  were 
surprised  on  riding  through  Milan  at  the  atten- 
tion which  Lou  attracted.  We  expected  this 
sort  of  thing  in  the  country  and  smaller  towns, 
but  in  a  city  like  Milan,  of  more  than  300,000 
inhabitants,  we  hadn't  supposed  she  would  at- 
tract any  more  attention  than  sue  would  in 
New  York.  Still  it  was  a  fact,  and  wo  couldn't 
help  noticing  it,  that  people  sto))p(Ml  in  the 
streets,    turned    around,    and    stared    after    her. 

127 


Later  on  we  learned  that  ladies  ride  compara- 
tively little  in  Milan  and  then  confine  their 
wheeling  to  the  park,  seldom  appearing  in  the 
city  itself. 

It  is  more  difficult  to  find  the  right  kind  of 
lodgings  in  a  large  city  than  in  the  smaller 
towns  that  one  rides  through  when  touring. 
After  many  disappointments  in  the  way  of 
quarters  which  proved  unsuitable  either  be- 
cause they  were  too  dear  or  too  cheap,  more  by 
good  luck  than  anything  else  we  stumbled  upon 
the  Hotel  St.  Michel  and  Bernerhof.  situated 
right  in  the  heart  of  the  city.  If  the  street 
which  it  is  in  has  any  name  I  never  knew  it, 
and  the  proprietor  doesn't  put  it  on  his  bill 
heads.  It  stands  in  the  first  street  back  of  the 
cathedral,  or  the  first  street  to  the  right  off  the 
Corso  Victor  Emanuel.  Any  cabman  in  Milan 
knows  the  Hotel  St.  Michel,  as  it  is  commonly 
called. 

We  had  planned  to  stay  some  time  in  Milan, 
and  finding  that  we  could  have  our  meals  at 
any  hour  thai  suited  us  we  agreed  to  pay  so 
much  a  day  for  our  meals  with  board.  We 
wouldn't  have  thought  of  doing  this  if  we  had 
not  had  our  own  tal)le  in  the  restaurant  and  or- 
dered just  what  we  liked,  as  if  we  were  living 
on  the  a  la  carte  principle.  We  were  at  the 
hotel  two  weeks  on  this  plan  and  found  it  very 
satisfactory,  the  only  trouble  being  that  there 
was  a  great  deal  too  much  of  everything.  Only 
the  fires  in  our  rooms  were  extra.    The  price  we 

128 


paid  for  all  this,  with  wine  included,  was  seven 
francs  a  day,  each.  It  is  useless  for  me  to  try 
to  describe  here  the  beauties  of  Milan.  Bae- 
deker will  tell  you  all  about  it.  All  I  can  say 
is  that  it  rained  nearly  all  the  time  during  taose 
two  weeks,  and  yet  we  were  not  bored.  The 
theatre,  the  opera  and  the  concert  hall  in  Milan 
are  within  the  financial  reach  of  all  and  cabs 
can  be  had  for  thirty  cents  for  the  first  hour, 
and  twenty  cents  for  all  hours  afterward.  Milan 
is  a  wretched  place  to  bicycle  in,  however, 
as  the  streets  are  narrow  and  cuoked  up  with 
traffic. 

It  was  not  till  October  18  that  the   weather 
was   pleasant   enough   to   warrant   our   starting 
on  our  ride  to  Venice.     On  the  afternoon  of  that 
day  we  started  out  at  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
and   rode  to   Lodi,   some  thirty-one   kilometers 
from  Milan.   We  got  there  while  it  was  still  light 
and   went  to   the   Albergo    Ristorante    Vignola, 
where  we  got  rooms  for  seven  francs,  four  of 
which  fell  to  Joe's  share.     The  hotel  is  on  the 
main  square  of  the  town,  known  as  the  Piazza 
.viaggiore,  and  nearly  opposite  was  the  restau- 
rant Vedova,  where  we  all  dined  comfortably  for 
a  dollar.     In  the  morning  Lou  was  much  inter- 
ested in  a  market  which  was  being  held  in  the 
square,  attended  by  peasants  from  all  the  coun- 
try around.    We  got  under  way  about  1 L  o'clock, 
and  riding  across  the  bridge  made  famous   by 
the  charge  of  the  French  troops,  led  by  the  great 
Napoleon  himself,  we  cycled  sixteen  kilometers 

129 


to  Crema,  where  we  breakfasted  at  the  Albergo 
Ponte  di  Rialto.     By  this  time  we  had  learned 
Italian   enough    to   know    that   vino   was   wine, 
pane  was  bread,  uova  fritta  was  fried  eggs  and 
iiva  was  grapes.     We  had  also  grasped  the  fact 
that  caffe  was  coffee  and  latte  meant  milk.     In 
fact,  Lou  said  she  knew  lots  more  things,  and 
T  guess  she  did  by  the  confidence  with   which 
she  kept  saying  to  the  peasants  along  the  route, 
"quella  strada  andare  to  the  next  old  place?" 
After    having    paid    the    enormous    sum    of 
eighty  cents  for  breakfast  we  started  out  again 
by  the  way  of  Romanengo.  Soncino  Pompiano 
and  Torbole,  and  quite  early  in  the  afternoon 
had  finished  the  thirty-three  kilometers  which 
lay  between  us  and  Brescia  where  we  were  to 
pass  the  night. 


130 


CHAPTER    XII. 


Nearing  Venice. 

HAD  no  difficulty  in  finding  a 
good  liotel  at  Brescia  as  there 
were  several  all  near  together. 
Our  choice  was  the  Albergo  dell 
'Orologio,  which  was  on  the  main 
square  in  the  centre  of  the  town.  The  young 
man  in  charge  spoke  French  very  well,  and  the 
price  of  a  double  room  was  only  three  francs. 
In  the  restaurant  one  is  well  served,  a  la  carte, 
at  the  low  prices  prevailing  in  Italy.  Brescia 
is  pleasantly  situated  on  a  hill  and  commands  a 
magnificent  view  and  there  are  many  things 
of  interest  to  be  seen  there,  besides  the  inevi- 
table cathedral.  In  fact,  we  did  not  stay  at 
Brescia  as  long  as  we  should  have  liked  to,  for 
the  next  day  was  fair  and  we  were  anxious  to 
push  on  to  Verona,  which  was  just  sixty-six 
kilometers  further  on  our  way  to  Venice.  We 
breakfasted  at  Lonato,  a  town  of  between  i3,{)W) 
and  7,000  inhabitants,  twenty-three  kilometei-s 
from  Brescia.  The  road  to  Verona  we  found  ex- 
cellent,  although    the   weather   was   uncomfort- 

131 


ably  warm,  in  sjiite  of  the  fact  that  it  was 
almost  the  end  of  October. 

Among  the  other  things  which  the  cyclist  no- 
tices in  this  part  of  Lombardy  are  the  rows 
after  rows  of  high  hedges  which  line  the  road  on 
either  side  and  shut  out,  most  of  the  time,  what- 
ever scenery  there  may  be.  But,  as  a  rule,  this 
country  is  flat  and  rather  uninteresting.  I 
should  judge  that  the  same  thing  is  true  of 
nearly  all  of  Lombardy.  Ordinarily,  in  cycling, 
one  has  a  constant  change  of  view  and  the  road 
twists  about  bringing  with  each  turn  some 
change  of  scene,  but  this  isn't  the  case  on  the 
road  from  Milan  to  Venice,  where,  for  mile 
after  mile  one  sees  before  him  a  great  stretch  of 
road  without  a  single  turn  or  deviation,  which 
makes  the  way  seem  much  longer.  In  fact,  Lou 
said  she'd  rather  climb  a  hill  or  put  up  with 
most  any  kind  of  wheeling  if  they  would  only 
give  her  a  little  variety. 

As  you  wheel  along,  too,  you  can't  help  being 
struck  with  tne  fact  that  Italy  must  be  the  bar- 
gain counter  of  the  world  for  statuary.  Every 
estate  along  the  road,  whether  the  house  there- 
on be  a  mansion  or  a  modest  cottage,  is  sure  to 
have  the  statue  of  some  well-known  mytho- 
logical character  in  life  size  on  either  gate  post, 
and  the  walls  enclosing  the  grounds  are  inva- 
riably decorated  with  the  busts  of  those  whose 
names  have  come  down  to  us  from  the  days  of 
antiquity.  And  scattered  about  the  grounds 
themselves   are  more  statues,   many   of   which, 

132 


owing  to  their  exposure  to  tlie  weather,  look 
more  or  less  the  worse  for  wear.  In  these  cases 
Venus  de  Milo  no  longer  has  a  corner  on  being 
the  only  statue  without  arms.  Armless  Apollos 
and  legless  Venuses,  not  to  mention  .Jupiters 
minus  an  ear,  are  frequentl.v  seen,  while  many 
of  the  marble  counterfeit  presentments  of  Bac- 
chus make  that  giddy  young  god  look  as  if  he 
had  been  out  all  night  and  had  run  into  the 
club  of  a  New  York  policeman. 

However,  all  these  things  are  amusing  and 
Lou  rather  enjoyed  the  sensation  she  caused 
when  we  dashed  through  the  small  Italian  ham- 
lets and  villages,  where  men  and  women  ran 
(lut  into  the  streets  in  a  frantic  endeavor  to  get 
a  glimpse  of  the  spirit  from  a  foreign  land  who 
flew  through  their  country  on  wheels.  Still  it 
is  only  fair  to  say  that  the  Italians  were  only 
animated  by  sheer  curiosity  and  that  their  at- 
tentions were  never  otherwise  than  respectful, 
if  we  except  one  case  in  Milan,  where  an  irre- 
sponsible small  boy  threw  a  stick  at  Lou's  wheel 
■which  broke  the  mud-guard.  .loe  would  have 
liked  to  administer  a  good  American  spanking 
to  this  young  son  of  Italy,  but  he  fled  like  the 
wind  and  was  soon  lost  in  a  crowd  of  his 
fellows. 

From  Lonato  our  w^ay  lay  through  Rivoltella, 
Peschiera  to  Castelnuovo  di  Ver.  The  last  men- 
tioned place  is  only  eighteen  kilometers  from 
Verona,  where  we  arrived  just  at  dark.  As  it 
was  raining  at  the  time,   wc   went   lo   the   first 

133 


hotel  we  could  find,  which  happened  to  be  the 
Alia  Gabbia,  which  is  on  the  Piazza  Erbe.  This 
hotel  was  not  as  cheerful  as  it  might  have  been, 
but  still  we  were  not  uncomfortable  there.  A 
room  for  two  persons  cost  four  lire,  and  all  the 
prices  were  quite  as  reasonable  as  those  I  have 
already  mentioned. 

We  did  not  see  Verona  under  the  pleasantest 
circumstances  and  yet  we  enjoyed  it  thoroughly, 
although  it  rained  almost  incessantly  while  we 
were  there.  Really  Verona  is  one  of  the  most 
Interesting  cities  of  Italy,  if  not  of  all  Europe. 
It  is  a  perfect  symposium  of  Roman  antiquities 
and  of  cathedrals  decorated  by  the  greatest  mas- 
ters known  to  Italian  art.  Its  amphitheatre  is 
believed  to  have  been  constructed  in  the  years 
68  and  69  A.  D.,  and  almost  all  of  its  celebrities 
of  past  ages  can  boast  of  having  been  dead 
longer  than  similar  celebrities  almost  anywhere 
else  in  Italy.  Naturally  we  visited  all  the 
cathedrals  most  worthy  of  our  attention,  be- 
sides making  an  inspection  of  the  fortifications 
of  the  city,  which  are  most  complete  and  in- 
teresting. 

I  think  what  Lou  enjoyed  most  was  our  call 
at  the  alleged  tomb  of  Romeo  and  Juliet.  I 
say  tomb,  although  what  we  saw  was  only  a 
small  part  of  it.  In  appearance  it  resembled  a 
great  stone  bathtub,  which  was  more  than  half 
filled  with  the  visiting  cards  which  had  been 
left  there  by  sympathetic  callers  from  all  iiarts 
of  the  world.     Lou  followed  the  example  of  her 

134 


predecessors  and  dropped  a  dainty  little  crrd. 
and.  I  suspect,  a  tear  where  so  many  similar 
cards  and  possibly  tears  had  been  dropped  be- 
fore. We  were  told  afterwards  that  there  are 
really  no  authentic  proofs  that  what  is  pointed 
out  to  the  visitors  at  Verona  as  part  of  the 
tomb  of  Romeo  and  .Juliet  is  really  what  it  is 
supposed  to  be.  but  Lou  would  never  listen  to 
the  story  for  an  instant.  She  declares  she  is 
sure  that  that  stone  bathtub  is  the  real  thing 
for  she  felt  the  presence  of  the  unfortunate 
lovers  as  she  stood  beside  it.  One  thing  that 
troubled  Lou  in  Verona,  as  elsewhere  in  Italy, 
was  the  idea  that  Garibaldi,  who  had  been  dead 
only  such  a  short  time,  should  have  so  many 
more  statues  than  lots  of  other  distinguished 
Italians  who  died  centuries  before  he  was  born. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day,  as  it  was 
still  raining,  we  made  up  our  minds  that  if  it 
hadn't  cleared  up  by  afternoon  we  would  go  by 
rail  to  Vicenza.  which  was  fifty  kilometers 
further  along  on  our  road  to  Venice.  Therefore, 
as  the  weather  was  unchanged  in  the  after- 
noon, we  took  a  train  about  four  o'clock  for 
Vicenza.  15ut  as  we  rode  over  this  same  route 
on  our  wheels  on  oiu-  way  back  from  Venice,  I 
am  prepared  to  say  that  thf  v.heeung  between 
the  two  cities  is  not  at  all  bad. 

On  arriving  at  Vicenza  we  left  our  bicycles 
at  the  station,  having  unstrapped  what  l);iggage 
we  carried  on  them.  Then,  for  the  first  time 
and   thf   last  while  on  a  wheeling   tour   in    l<]ii- 

135 


rope,  we  entered  one  of  the  hotel  omnibuses 
which  was  waiting  at  the  station.  A  little  later 
we  had  a  (  hance  to  see  for  ourselves  at  what  a 
disadvantage  any  one  is  who  makes  his  entry 
into  an  Italian  hotel  under  these  circumstances. 

The  particular  omnibus  which  we  got  into 
belonged  to  the  Hotel  Roma,  which  is  some  dis- 
tance from  the  station.  When  the  omnibus 
stopped  wp  found  ourselves  in  the  courtyard 
of  a  hotel  of  considerable  dimensions.  The 
manager,  who  spoke  French,  said  he  had  rooms 
for  two  persons  as  low  as  six  francs.  Lou  ele- 
vated her  eyebrows  at  this  but  said  she  would 
look  at  the  quarters.  Joe  and  I  went  up  with 
her  and  were  shown  to  a  miserable  little  inside 
room  with  single  bed.  It  was  the  worst  thing 
in  the  way  of  rooms  that  we  had  seen  since  we 
left  Paris.  The  waiter  volunteered  the  infor- 
mation that  they  had  something  better  for  ten 
lire.  There  is  no  denying  the  fact  that  we 
were  three  pretty  mad  Americans  when  we 
got  down  stairs. 

The  manager  was  standing  on  a  chair  wind- 
ing a  clock,  surrounded  by  four  or  five  waiters, 
when  we  tackled  him.  Briefly,  but  in  fervent 
language,  we  told  him  what  we  thought  of  him 
and  his  hotel  and  then  before  he  had  time  to 
even  get  off  his  chair  we  each  grabbed  up  our 
hand  baggage  and  sailed  out  of  the  hotel.  I 
don't  think  there  was  a  more  astonished  hotel 
manager  or  a  madder  one  in  all  Italy  that  night. 
A  waiter  followed   us  up   the  street   trying  to 

1.36 


get  a  lira  each  from  us  for  our  fares  in  the 
omnibus  to  the  hotel.  We  paid  no  attention  to 
him.  Having  sought  out  the  nearest  cafe  we 
had  no  difficulty  in  being  directed  to  an  excel- 
lent hotel  near  by  where  Joe  got  a  splendid 
double  rooom  for  three  lire  and  the  restaurant 
was  not  only  good  but  the  prices  in  the  restau- 
rant were  even  lower  than  some  of  those  al- 
ready cited. 

We  did  little  or  no  sight  seeing  in  Vicenza. 
and  though  we  breakfasted  there  we  did  not 
make  a  start  liII  afternoon.  It  was  Sunday  and 
we  attracted  a  good  deal  of  attention  when  we 
made  our  appearance  in  the  street.  We  arrived 
at  Padua,  thirty-two  kilometers  from  Vicenza, 
so  early  in  the  afternoon  that  we  thought  we 
might  as  well  keep  on  towards  Venice,  or  rather 
Mestre,  which  is  as  far  as  one  can  go  on  one's 
wheel.  At  Mestre  you  take  the  boat  or  the 
train  across  the  bridge  to  Venice.  Mestre  is 
only  forty-two  kilometers  from  Padua.  We 
knew  we  couldn't  reach  Mestre  that  afternoon 
but  thought  we  might  arrive  at  Mira  Vecchia,  a 
town  of  nearly  ten  thousand  inhabitants,  where 
we  could  pass  the  night.  That  afternoon,  how- 
ever, for  the  first  time  we  lost  our  way.  We 
made  the  mistake  of  asking  in  our  Nutt's  di('- 
tionary  Italian  if  we  were  on  the  right  road  to 
Venice.  In  each  case  we  were  assured  that  we 
were.  The  good  people  that  we  met  had  no 
intention  of  deceiving  us  Ijut  wliile  we  were 
always  riding  towards  our  destinntion  we  were 

1.37 


entirely  off  tne  road  to  Mira  Vecchia.  When 
we  discovered  this  fact  it  was  already  dark  and 
the  nearest  town  at  which  we  could  find  ac- 
commodations for  the  night  was  called  Mirano 
and  was  nearly  ten  kilometers  away.  There 
was  nothing  for  it,  however,  but  to  make  the 
ride  in  the  dark.  We  had  no  lanterns,  but  man- 
aged to  reach  Mirano  without  accident  between 
seven  and  eight  o'clock.  Here  there  was  no 
question  as  to  hotels.  There  was  only  one  in 
the  town.  The  main  square  of  the  town  was 
lighted  up  and  a  brass  band  was  playing  in  the 
center  of  it.  Lou  said  she  wondered  how  they 
knew  we  were  coming.  We  were  too  glad  to 
get  anywhere  to  ask  any  questions  about  prices 
that  night,  but  when  we  got  our  bill  next  morn- 
ing we  could  hardly  believe  our  eyes. 

Joe  and  Lou  had  a  room  whicn  was  nearly 
big  enough  for  a  bowling  alley,  with  the  usual 
decorated  ceiling  and  painted  walls.  The 
charge  for  this  for  both  of  them  was  thirty 
cents,  or  fifteen  cents  apiece,  while  my  room, 
which  wasn't  quite  so  large,  was  twenty  cents. 
Dinner  for  us  three  was  eighty  cents,  and  three 
pints  of  wine  were  marked  down  as  eighteen 
cents.  The  Benedictines,  cognacs,  etc.,  as  well 
as  the  small  cups  of  coffee  were  all  charged  for 
at  the  rate  of  two  cents  each.  We  could  hardly 
believe  that  there  had  not  been  some  mistake 
until  we  had  paid  the  bill  and  received  our 
receipt.  Then  we  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
this  must  have  been  the  first  time  any  Ameri- 

138 


cans  had  ever  stayed  over  night  at  Mirano.  We 
were  very  carefnl  not  to  spoil  a  good  thing  by 
expressing  surprise  or  by  giving  over-extrava- 
gant tips.  On  inquiring  in  the  morning  where 
we  were  we  found  that  we  had  only  about  ten 
kilometers  to  reach  Mestre.  We  had  to  walk 
and  push  our  machines,  however,  to  get  out  ol 
Mirano,  as  it  was  market  day  there  and  the 
streets  were  filled  with  peasants. 

The  road  to  Mestre  proved  all  right,  and  on 
arriving  there,  instead  of  leaving  our  wheels  in 
the  town  itself,  we  followed  the  horse  car  track 
and  rode  out  to  the  end  of  the  point  of  land 
from  which  a  little  passenger  steamer  starts  for 
Venice.  There  we  found  a  storage  room,  pre- 
pared especially  for  the  keeping  of  bicycles,  at 
a  cost,  if  I  remember  rightly,  of  five  or  six 
cents  a  day.  On  arriving  at  Venice  we  had  no 
idea  where  to  go,  so  on  leaving  the  steamer  we 
hired  a  gondola  by  the  hour  and  were  propelled 
up  and  down  the  Grand  canal  looking  for  suit- 
able quarters.  Of  course  Venice  is  dearer  than 
most  places  in  Italy,  but  we  succeeded  in  get- 
ting excellent  quarters  at  the  Hotel  Beau-Riv- 
age  very  reasonably.  There  a  room  cost  .Joe 
and  Lou  six  francs  a  day,  while  I  paid  four. 
Cafe  au  lait  with  bread  and  butter,  served  in 
the  room,  cost  twenty-five  cents.  At  the  Ris- 
toratore  Panada  on  the  Calle  Specchieri,  Nos. 
G47  and  648,  there  is  a  restaurant  which  fur- 
nishes a  remarkable  variety  of  dishes  and  wines 
at   prices   which    seem    ridiculously   (dieap.        If 

1.39 


they  ordered  sensibly  two  persons  could  spend 
a  dollar  for  dinner  at  this  restaurant,  without 
wine,  but  they  would  have  to  have  a  great  ap- 
petite. Birds  and  fish  of  all  varieties  are  spe- 
cialties here  and  they  have  an  excellent  Italian 
champagne  also,  which  is  fairly  dry,  and  costs 
only  about  sixty  cents  a  bottle.  At  this  mo- 
ment I  cannot  be  sure  of  the  spelling  of  the 
name,  but  if  you  ask  for  a  bottle  of  Cogneg- 
liano  I  am  quite  sure  that  you  will  get  what  I 
mean. 

Your  guide  books  will  tell  you  more  about 
Venice  than  I  could  possibly  find  room  for  here, 
so  there  is  no  use  of  my  attempting  to  go  into 
the  beauties  and  charms  of  this  peculiar  city. 
In  its  way  it  is  perhaps  the  most  interesting  city 
in  Europe. 

Naturally  you  can't  bicycle  in  Venice  and  Lou 
regretted  much  that  we  hadn't  sent  at  least  one 
trunk  on  from  Milan.  Hers  was  the  only  short 
skirt  we  saw  while  there,  and  while  one  gets 
more  or  less  used  to  being  stared  at,  too  much 
of  that  sort  of  thing  becomes  trying  to  the 
nerves.  Lou  didn't  say  much  about  it,  but  it 
was  easy  to  see  what  she  thought  on  the  sub- 
ject, for  one  day  she  stamped  her  foot  in  vexa- 
tion and  almost  with  tears  in  her  eyes  ex- 
claimed: 

"I  wouldn't  care  so  much  if  I  was  only  sure 
these  people  knew  I  was  cycling.  What  I'm 
afraid  of  is  that  some  idiot  will  go  and  think 
that  I  am  a  new  woman,  or  some  awful  thin.u 
like   that." 

141 


A  STREET  WHERE  ONE  WOULD  NEED  AN  AQUATIC  BICVCEE. 


However,  as  we  spent  most  of  our  time  out 
of  doors  in  gondolas,  the  length  of  the  skirt 
didn't  make  much  difference  after  all  except  in 
crossing  the  Place  St.  Marc  on  our  way  to  the 
restaurant  or  while  out  on  shopping  tours. 

We  spent  six  days  in  Venice,  and  on  October 
30  we  returned  to  Mestre  and  set  out  on  our 
return  journey  over  the  same  route  which  we 
had  taken  on  our  way  to  Venice,  with  the  ex- 
ception that  we  rode  back  by  the  way  of  Mira 
Vecchia  instead  of  going  back  by  Mirano.  At 
Verona  the  weather  had  grown  so  cold  that  we 
took  the  train  back  to  Milan,  where  we  spent 
another  week  at  the  Hotel  St.   Michel. 

This  time  instead  of  taking  pension,  or 
board,  we  lived  on  the  European  plan.  Joe  and 
Lou  got  an  excellent  room  with  an  electric 
light  for  five  lire  a  day,  while  I  did  fairly  well 
for  two  lire  less.  We  breakfasted  and  dined  at 
the  hotel  or  outside,  as  we  saw  fit,  and  found 
that  there  was  not  much  difference  in  expense 
between  this  plan  and  the  one  we  had  adopted 
before  of  paying  seven  francs  a  day,  which  cov- 
ered everything. 

At  the  end  of  the  week  as  the  weather  grew 
no  warmer,  we  determined  to  take  the  train  to 
Genoa,  and  cycle  along  the  Mediterranean  from 
Genoa  to  Nice.  Although  we  took  the  train,  in 
the  proper  season  one  can  cycle  very  easily  from 
Milan  to  Genoa  by  the  way  of  Pavia,  Tortona 
Cassano  Spinola,  Ronco  Scrivia  and  Busalla. 
The  distance  from  Milan  to  Tortona  is  forty-six 
kilometers;  from  Tortona  to  Genoa  it  is  sev- 
enty-five kilometeis. 

143 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


^ 


On  To  Ventimigflia. 


N  LEAVLNCt  MILAN  we  had 
sent  our  trunks  on  by  the  grande 
Vitesse,  so  when  we  left  the  train 
on  arriving  at  Genoa,  we  fastened 
our  baggage  as  usual  to  our  ma- 
chines and  stai-ted  to  ride  through  the  city  in 
quest  of  a  hotel  which  would  prove  to  our  lik- 
ing. We  haan't  ridden  fifty  yards,  however,  be- 
fore a  very  tall  man  of  sombre  mien,  wearing  a 
tall  hat  and  a  long,  single-breasted  coat,  but- 
toned up  high  about  the  neck,  and  reaching 
nearly  to  his  ankles,  stepped  into  the  middle 
of  the  narrow  street,  and  holding  before  him 
a  kind  of  mace  he  carried,  bade  us  politely 
enough  to  dismount. 

This  individual  was  one  of  tiiose  peculiarly 
garbed  policemen  whom  one  sees  in  the  large 
cities  of  Italy.  The  officer  spoke  only  a  few 
words  of  French,  but  he  made  us  understand 
that  it  is  forbidden  to  ride  the  wheel  in  Genoa. 
Later  on,  when  we  inquired  why,  we  were  told 
that   nearly   all    the   traffic   in   the   city   passes 

144 


through  the  single  main  thoroughfare,  which  is 
badly  paved  and  very  narrow.  Of  course,  we 
were  surprised,  hut  there  was  nothing  else  to 
do  but  accept  the  situation  gracefully.  We 
pushed  our  wheels  before  us  to  the  Hotel  des 
Etrangers.  which  is  situated  on  the  Rue 
Carioli,  quite  In  the  centre  of  Genoa.  It  is  an 
excellent  hotel,  with  electric  lights  and  ele- 
vators and  is  heated  throughout,  but  Lou 
thought  nine  lire  was  rather  high  for  the 
room  to  which  she  and  Joe  were  shown.  The 
proprietor  was  a  most  agreeable  man  and  ad- 
mitted very  frankly  that  the  hotels  in  general 
in  Genoa  were  deaier  than  anywhere  else  in 
Italy,  and  then  added  that  since  we  were  mem- 
bers of  the  French  Touring  Club  he  would 
make  the  price  of  the  room  six  lire.  I  also  had 
an  excellent  room  for  a  lira  less.  The  restau- 
rant was  a  la  carte  and  the  cuisine  very  good, 
and  for  the  first  time  in  many  days  we  were 
able  to  get  a  sirloin  steak,  which  would  have 
been  a  credit  to  any  first-class  American  res- 
taurant. 

The  next  morning,  as  bicycles  were  tabooed, 
we  took  a  carriage  for  a  drive  through  the 
town.  I  think  the  carriage,  which  made  a  very 
good  appearance,  was  forty  cents  an  hour.  We 
were  more  anxious  to  see  the  house  where 
Columbus  was  born  than  anything  else.  Hav- 
ing seen  that  and  the  fortifications  and  other 
points  of  interest  in  the  city,  we  went  back  to 
the  hotel  and  had  our  bicycles  taken  to  the  sta- 

14.5 


YOU   CAN'T   CVCI^K    IN   GKNOA;   COLUMKUS    DIDN'T. 


tion.  We  did  this  because  everyone  agreed  that 
the  first  sixteen  kilometers  from  Genoa,  or  as 
far  as  Voltri  on  our  way  to  Nice,  was  an  abom- 
inable route  for  wheelmen.  Therefore,  we  took 
the  train  which  left  Genoa  about  two  o'clock, 
for  Voltri.  The  train  ran  along  close  to  the 
shore  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  whenever  it 
stopped,  for  any  reason,  the  passengers  amused 
themselves  by  throwing  coppers  out  of  the  win- 
dows for  the  children  of  the  fishermen  who 
swarmed  the  beach,  to  scramble  for. 

In  about  half  an  hour  we  were  at  Voltri  and 
had  mounted  our  wheels  and  begun  our  ride  to 
Nice.  The  distance  from  Nice  to  Genoa  is  in 
the  neighborhood  of  175  kilometers.  That  after- 
noon we  rode  a  little  more  than  thirty  kilome- 
ters to  Savona,  a  town  of  about  30,000  inhabi- 
tants where  we  found  very  good  accommoda- 
tions and  courteous  treatment  at  the  Hotel 
Roma.  Our  rooms  here  were  four  and  five  lire, 
respectively,  and  the  prices  at  the  restaurant 
were  about  the  same  as  usual. 

On  the  morning  of  November  8  the  weather 
was  simply  perfect.  The  air  was  warm  and 
balmy  without  being  too  hot,  though  in  riding 
in  the  middle  of  the  day  we  suffered  a  little  from 
the  heat,  being  clad  too  warmly.  The  road 
from  Savona  to  Spotoi'no  was  simply  a  bicycling 
dream.  On  our  left  lay  the  beach  washed  by 
the  blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean.  On  our 
right  rose  great  hills  that  sheltered  us  complete- 
ly from  the  cold  winds  of  the  north.     The  scen- 

147 


ery.  people,  and  their  habitations  were  all  p'n- 
turesque,  and  everything  about  us  was  full  of 
interest.  The  road  itself  was  good,  and,  taken 
altogether,  I  don't  think  that  one  could  bicycle 
anywhere  under  more  perfect  conditions  than 
along  this  route  from  Genoa  to  Nice.  But, 
alas  I  for  us.  it  was  not  to  be,  and  as  we  bowled 
along,  all  of  us  in  the  highest  spirits,  Lou  de- 
clared without  the  slightest  idea  that  her  pre- 
diction was  so  soon  to  come  true,  that  the  only 
fear  that  she  had  was  that  it  was  just  too  lovely 
to  last.  At  Spotorno,  we  dismounted  from  our 
wheels,  and  leaning  them  up  against  the  side 
of  the  road,  went  down  on  the  beach  to  see  a 
score  of  fishermen,  and  women,  for  that  mat- 
ter, draw  in  a  great  net  which  had  been  set 
over  night.  The  net  was  of  enormous  propor- 
tions, and  stretched  out  to  sea  for  a  distance  of 
about  a  hundred  yards,  and  took  at  least  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  to  be  drawn  in.  At  last 
when  the  final  meshes  were  drawn  upon  the 
beach,  it  was  seen  that  the  catch  was  a  poor 
one,  as  there  were  not  more  than  a  bushel  bas- 
ket full  of  small  fish  to  reward  so  many  fishers 
for  their  labor. 

Spotorno  was  perhaps  the  prettiest  village 
we  saw  on  our  ride  along  the  Mediterranean.  It 
is  delightfully  situated  at  the  base  of  two  great 
hills,  which  slope  down  towards  it  gradually, 
leaving  it  charmingly  land-locked  on  all  sides 
from  which  a  blast  of  cold  air  might  possibly 
come.     The  houses,  and  the  gardens  about  them, 

14S 


are  attractive,  and  the  people  kind  and  hospit- 
able. Along  the  beach  were  scores  of  fishing 
boats,  showing  that  the  fishing  thereabouts 
must  be  good.  Undoubtedly  one  could  live  in 
Spotorno,  or  in  fact,  in  any  of  these  Italian  vil- 
lages for  about  seventy-five  cents  a  day,  and  be 
regarded  as  a  millionaire.  As  we  contemplated 
the  natural  beauties  of  the  place,  we  couldn't 
help  thinking  how  any  one  who  wanted  to 
withdraw  from  the  noise  and  bustle  of  the 
world,  and  put  aside  the  cares  of  life  tempo- 
rarily, might  do  well  to  resort  to  some  such 
sequestered  nook.  Here  one  could  find  perfect 
rest  and  quiet.  Surrounded  by  plenty  of 
books,  one  would  have  no  lack  of  time  to  read. 
Here,  too,  a  knowledge  of  the  Italian  language 
could  be  acquired  and  no  better  place  could  be 
imagined  for  the  finishing  of  some  literary 
effort.  For  sport,  one  would  have  to  depend  on 
fishing,  swimming,  bicycling  and  tennis.  Be- 
sides one  could  wheel  to  Monte  Carlo  and  Nice 
by  passing  only  one  night  somewhere  on  the 
road,  or,  in  fact,  a  good  wheelman  could  make 
the  trip  in  one  day. 

Two  or  three  kilometers  beyond  Spotorno  we 
had  other  things  to  occupy  our  thoughts,  for  in 
going  through  the  town  of  Noli,  .Joe's  hind  tire 
picked  up  a  tack  or  nail  which  had  doubtless 
worked  loose  from  the  wooden  shoe  of  some 
Italian  peasant.  It  made  a  good  sized  hole,  and 
it  was  soon  evident  that  Joe  could  do  no  more 
riding   until    that  tire   was   repaired.     It   was   a 

14r> 


single  tube  American  tire,  but  wlien  we  tried 
to  repair  it  we  could  make  no  headway,  as  we 
could  not  force  the  mushroom-shaped  bit  of 
rubber  into  the  hole,  and  found,  moreover,  that 
our  glue  had  dried  up.  Fortunately,  however, 
although  it  was  Sunday,  we  found  that  a  train 
was  due  in  about  half  an  hour,  which  would 
take  us  on  to  Finalmarina,  nine  kilometers  fur- 
ther on.  where  there  was  a  m«n  who  repaired 
bicycles.  At  this  town  we  found  the  bicycle  re- 
pair shop  to  be  in  charge  of  Emanuel  Maggi, 
who,  in  reply  to  our  dictionary  Italian,  looked 
confident  and  assured  us  that  he  could  repair 
the  tire  easily,  though  he  had  never  seen  one 
like  it  before.  Later  on  in  the  afternoon  he  was 
just  as  confident  as  ever,  but  hadn't  made  any 
headway  with  the  tire  or  with  his  work.  Fin- 
ally, he  said  it  would  be  necessary  for  us  to 
stay  all  night. 

Lou  didn't  like  this  idea,  and  said  she'd  bet 
he  would  charge  us  for  sitting  up  all  night  with 
a  sick  tire.  By  noon  the  next  day  he  sent  word 
to  the  hotel  that  he'd  finished  his  work  and  we 
all  got  ready  to  go  down  to  the  shop  to  con- 
gratulate him. 

Finalmarina's  hotel  is  not  such  a  bad  one. 
It  is  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  and  is  known  as 
the  Grande  Hotel  Garibaldi.  We  had  ordered 
a  la  carte,  and  found  things  reasonable,  and 
now  on  getting  word  from  the  bicycle  man  that 
he  was  ready  for  us,  we  called  for  our  bill  and 

150 


found  that  the  i-ooms  were  only  marked  at  two 
and  three  lire  respectively. 

At  the  bicycle  shop  we  found  an  admiring 
crowd  gathered,  who  were  watching  Signer 
Maggi  careering  around  the  Square  on  Joe"s 
wheel,  just  to  show  his  countrymen  that  he 
could  repair  anything  in  the  tire  line,  if  it 
did  come  from  America.  That  tire  certainly 
did  stand  up,  but  what  he  had  done  to  it  we 
shall  never  know,  even  in  the  light  of  subse- 
quent events. 

The  tire  had  been  a  new  one  when  we  left 
Milan.  It  now  looked  as  if  it  had  been  ridden 
across  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Over  the  point 
where  the  nail  had  entered  he  had  glued  on 
several  layers  of  rubber,  and  over  this  he  had 
wound  several  yards  of  white  cloth,  all  of 
which  was  fastened  down  with  a  piece  of  red 
flannel.  Signor  Maggi  explained  that  if  the  tire 
didn't  have  a  relapse  after  being  ridden  two  or 
three  hours  we  could  remove  these  outside 
bandages,  rle  then  charged  us  eight  lire  for  his 
work  and  said  good  morning  and  prepared  to 
receive  the  congratulations  of  his  friends. 

The  appearance  of  Joe's  tire  certainly  wasn't 
calculated  to  inspire  confidence  in  any  one,  but 
we  mounted  and  started  on  all  the  same.  For 
something  more  than  fifteen  kilometers  we  rode 
along  all  right,  the  wheeling  and  the  scenery 
being  almost  equal  to  that  whicli  I  have  al- 
ready described.  As  wo  were  ai)pr()acliing  AI- 
benga,  however,  Lou  and   I,  who  were  riding  on 

1.^1 


ahead  to  warn  Joe  of  any  obstructions  in  the 
path,  which  might  prove  fatal  to  his  already 
demoralized  tire,  heard  him  behind  using  lan- 
guage. We  rode  back  and  found  the  tire  gone, 
this  time  for  good  and  all  we  feared.  Signor 
Maggi,  after  making  his  repairs,  had  put  the 
tire  back  on  the  wooden  rim  with  little  or  no 
glue.  As  a  consequence  the  friction  had  cut  the 
rubber  badly  about  the  valve.  It  was  only 
about  three  kilometers  to  Albenga,  so  Joe 
climbed  on  a  passing  omnibus  with  his  wheel, 
while  Lou  and  I  rode. 

At  Albenga  we  took  luncheon  at  the  Hotel 
Vittorrio,  while  a  local  bicycle  professor  tried 
to  see  what  he  could  do  with  Joe's  tire.  He, 
too,  thought  he  could  fix  it,  but  being  a  more 
honest  man  than  Signor  Maggi,  frankly  con- 
fessed his  inability  to  do  so,  when  we  returned 
to  the  shop  after  luncheon. 


THE   CYCLIST'S   ENEMY. 


I,i2 


CHAPTER    XIV. 
Forced  to  Forsake  Our  Wheels. 


HILE  AT  THE  HOTEL  we  had 
engaged  in  conversation  witl: 
an  Italian  army  officer  wiio 
spoke  French,  who  told  us  that 
we  would  certainly  be  able  to 
have  the  necessary  repairs  made  at  Oneglia,  a 
city  of  7,001)  inhabitants,  about  forty  kilometers 
further  along  on  our  journey. 

An  hour  later  we  were  in  a  train  on  our  way 
to  Oneglia.  As  we  rode  on  the  cars  we  could 
see  enough  of  the  route  along  which  we  would 
have  ridden  on  our  bicycles,  but  for  .Toe's  acci- 
dent, to  make  us  all  regret  exti'emely  that  we 
were  obliged  to  miss  it.  In  fact,  as  far  as  we 
could  judge,  every  bit  of  the  way  to  Nice  ou 
the  road  which  we  had  mapped  out  was  as  at- 
tractive as  that  part  of  it  that  we  had  already 
ridden.  It  was  between  four  and  live  o'clock 
when  we  got  to  Oneglia,  and  as  we  were  now 
Hearing  the  French  frontier,  we  found  plenty  of 
Italians   ready  to  serve  as   interpreters  for   us 

15?. 


in  that  language.  As  soon  as  we  had  stated  our 
case,  a  consultation  of  all  the  bicycle  professors 
of  Oneglia  was  held,  who.  after  a  careful  ex- 
amination of  the  tire  and  conferring  among 
themselves,  gravely  announced  that  the  tire 
was  beyond  their  aid.  Wnen  we  tried  to  buy  a 
new  tire  they  said  they  had  none  which  could 
be  mounted  on  a  wooden  rim,  so  we  gave  it  up 
in  despair  and  took  the  train  that  night  at 
half-past  seven  for  Nice. 

Ventimiglia,  the  town  on  the  frontier  of 
France  and  Italy,  which  the  railroad  goes 
through,  was  only  about  forty  kilometers 
away.  This  was  the  first  time  we  had  crossed 
the  frontier  with  our  bicycles  on  the  train, 
but  we  didn't  have  the  trouble  we  anticipated. 
On  the  presentation  of  our  cards  of  identity  and 
the  slips  given  us  at  the  time  of  the  entries  of 
the  machines  into  Italy,  we  were  passed 
through  all  right,  although  the  official  in  charge 
said  it  would  be  unnecessai'y  for  him  to  take 
the  time  to  write  out  a  receipt  to  the  effect 
that  we  had  taken  our  machines  out  of  the 
country.  When  we  insisted,  however,  he  com- 
plied with  a  rather  bad  grace  and  the  remark 
that  it  wouldn't  be  his  fault  if  we  lost  our  train. 
He  said  no  question  would  ever  come  up  about 
the  duties  on  our  machines  not  having  been 
paid,  but  we  told  him  that  we  owed  it  to  the 
Touring  Club  of  France,  which  was  responsible 
for  us,  to  have  our  receipt  in  proper  form. 
On  arriving  in  Nice,  between  ten  and  eleven 

154 


o'clock,  we  were  all  pretty  tired,  and  went  to 
the  first  hotel  which  we  ran  into  on  leaving  the 
station,  which  happened  to  be  the  Hotel  St. 
Louis.  Still  in  Nice  there  is  almost  any  number 
hotels  at  all  prices,  and  if  you  don't  care  for 
hotel  life,  furnished  lodgings  can  be  had  all 
over  the  city,  which  give  very  fair  accommo- 
dations for  from  sixty  francs  a  month  up.  The 
rooms  which  we  had  at  the  St.  Louis  were  only 
up  one  flight,  and  were  on  the  street.  Five 
francs  for  Lou  and  Joe  and  four  francs  for 
me,  with  service  and  light  included,  was  the 
price  agreed  upon.  The  morning  after  our  ar- 
rival we  found,  to  our  consternation,  that  our 
trunks,  which  we  had  intrusted  to  Johnson  & 
Son,  in  Milan,  to  be  forwarded  to  us  at  Nice, 
had  not  yet  arrived,  although  that  was  nearly  a 
week  ago.  This  was  the  more  annoying,  as 
we  had  agreed  to  pay  more  than  five  dollars 
in  order  to  have  them  sent  by  the  most  rapid 
express.  Joe  had  a  brand  new  tire  in  hi.s  trunk, 
and  was  obliged  to  hire  a  wheel  until  its  ar- 
rival. Lou,  too,  was  annoyed,  of  course,  at 
being  obliged  to  go  around  in  a  short  skirt,  al- 
though that  is  so  common  at  Nice  that  it  at- 
tracts little  or  no  attention. 

This  delay,  however,  led  to  our  taking  one 
useless  trip.  One  afternoon  we  rode  ovei'  to 
Monte  Carlo,  thinking  to  have  a  look  at  the 
Casino  there,  l)ut  were  i)olitely  informed  that 
we  could  not  enter  in  bicycle  costume.  Lou 
said  she  didn't  see  why  a  man  couldn't  lose  just 

15.0 


as  much  money  in  a  bicycle  suit  as  he  could  in 
evening  dress  and  that  a  short  skirt  might  be 
an  indication  of  a  long  pocketbook.  This  ride 
from  Nice  to  Monte  Carlo  is  a  pretty  hilly  one, 
but  is  sufficiently  picturesque  to  make  it  worth 
the  while.  It  is  less  than  twenty  kilometers, 
anyway. 

On  the  third  day  we  got  our  trunks,  at  last, 
so  Joe  had  his  tire  and  Lou  had  her  dresses, 
and  everyone  was  happy. 

I  don't  think  that  anything  that  T  could  write 
of  our  experiences  in  Nice  could  possibly  add 
to  that  city's  reputation  as  a  popular  winter  re- 
sort. I  can  only  say  that  we  enjoyed  ourselves 
there  thoroughly  and  that  it  is  a  very  pleasant 
city  to  bicycle  in.  I  may  add,  too,  that  on  a 
subsequent  visit  to  Monte  Carlo,  in  more  con- 
ventional raiment,  we  looked  in  at  the  Casino 
and  found  that  the  bad  luck  which  pursued  us 
on  the  road  attended  us  no  longer.  Joe  won 
enough  money  playing  roulette  to  buy  more 
tires  than  he  is  ever  likely  to  need  in  the  rest 
of  his  natural  life,  while,  if  Lou  puts  her  win- 
nings into  hats,  she  will  be  able  to  start  a 
millinery  store  when  she  gets  back  to  New 
York. 

It  had  been  our  intention  to  return  to  Paris 
by  the  way  of  Marseilles,  riding  to  that  city 
from  Nice  on  our  wheels,  but  Joe  received  a 
cablegram  which  made  it  necessary  for  him  to 
get  home  as  soon  as  possible.  For  this  reason 
we  took  the  train   direct   from   Nice  to   Paris. 

156 


o 


* 
A 


5-1 


X 

X 

X 

o 


We  left  at  ten-thirty  in  the  evening  and  were 
in  Paris  the  following  day  by  six  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  Lou's  last  words  were,  as  she 
stepped  into  the  train  for  Havre,  at  the  St. 
Lazare  station: 

"You  may  be  sure  that  next  summer  you'll 
see  me  back  in  Europe  for  another  tour,  and  in 
the  meantime,  I'm  going  to  make  Joe  learn  to 
repair  his  own  tires." 

Lou's  speaking  of  summer  tours  recalls  a  lit- 
tle trip  which  we  three  took  in  June  of  1897. 
On  this  occasion  Joe  was  very  much  pressed  for 
time,  and  we  had  only  two  weeks  in  which 
to  ride.  In  that  time,  however,  we  rode  in 
France,  Belgium,  Holland  and  even  had  a  lit- 
tle run  in  Germany.  On  this  tour  we  met  with 
no  accidents  of  any  sort,  and  rode  a  thousand 
kilometers  without  any  of  us  being  obliged  to 
do  more  than  have  our  tires  blown  up  now 
and  then. 

We  left  Paris  about  June  10th  en  route  for 
Brussels,  where  the  exposition  was  being  held. 
As  I  have  already  said,  in  starting  on  a  trip 
from  Paris,  one  is  apt  to  find  the  worst  roads 
in  the  first  day's  ride  from  the  city.  For  this 
reason,  we  decided  to  take  the  train  to  Laon,  a 
little  more  than  three  hours'  ride  from  Paris  by 
rail.  We  left  Paris  from  the  Gare  du  Nord 
about  noon.  Laon  is  a  town  of  about  14,000  in- 
habitants, and  has  a  cathedral  built  in  the 
thirteenth  century,  and  an  old  tower  and  gate 
of  the  twelfth  century.     A  beautiful  view  can 

158 


also  be  had  from  the  ramparts  above  the  town. 

■\Ve  arrived  at  Laon  so  late  in  the  afternoon 
that  we  decided  not  to  stop  to  view  the  sights 
there,  but  to  keep  on  instead  to  Vervins,  a  lit- 
tle more  than  twenty  kilometers  further  on. 
You  will  have  to  take  one  or  two  hills  on  this 
route,  but  on  the  whole  it  isn't  at  all  bad.  At 
Vervins  we  went  to  the  Hotel  du  Cheval  Noir. 
This  proved  to  be  a  very  nice  little  hotel  and 
ve  were  soon  well  acquainted  with  our  host, 
who  seemed  very  much  interested  in  us.  Joe 
and  Lou  had  an  excellent  room  for  two  fi'ancs, 
while  I  paid  the  same  for  mine.  The  dinners 
were  three  francs  each,  with  all  the  wine  we 
could   drink. 

The  next  morning  it  was  pretty  hot,  but  we 
started  out  gaily  for  La  Capelle,  where  we  had 
planned  to  breakfast.  Before  we  negotiated  the 
twenty-five  or  thirty  kilometers  which  lay  be- 
tween Vervins  and  this  town,  we  realized  that 
bicycling  in  the  middle  of  a  hot  day  was  pretty 
serious  business.  However,  on  arriving  at  La 
Capelle,  we  went  to  the  Hotel  des  Messageries, 
which  had  been  recommended  to  us  at  Ver- 
vins. Here  Madame  Hergott  ana  her  very 
charming  daughter  showed  us  every  attention, 
Miss  Hergott  even  putting  her  own  room  at 
Lou's  disposition.  Half  an  hour's  rest  made  us 
all  feel  better,  and  when  the  dejeuner  a  la 
fourchette  was  announced  we  were  prepared 
to  do  it  ample  justice.  We  all  enjoyed  our  stay 
at  I^a  Capelle  extremely,  and   our  hostess  was 

159 


very  anxious  to  keep  us  over  night,  but  we 
had  determined  to  push  on  to  Maubeuge,  where 
we  decided  to  spend  the  night.  It  was  only 
about  twenty-fi\e  kilometers  to  Maubeuge, 
which  was  a  town  of  about  nineteen  thousand 
inhabitants.  There  we  went  to  the  Hotel  du 
Grand  Cerf.  Here  dinner,  with  wine,  was,  as 
usual,  three  francs,  and  we  each  paid 
two  francs  for  our  rooms.  By  the  way  of  di- 
version that  evening,  we  went  to  a  cafe  where 
there  was  a  concert. 

On   leaving   Maubeuge   we   found     the    roads 
rather  heavy  with  mud,  and   we  were  obliged 
to  depend  almost  altogether  on  the  side  paths 
and  in  some  cases  even  these  were  not  too  ride- 
able.     It  was  also  raining  when  we  set  out,  but 
as  Maubeuge  is  shut  in  in  a  sort  of  a  valley,  we 
rightly    supposed    that    we    would     have     clear 
weather  after  an  hour's  riding.     After  wheeling 
for  about  two  hours  we  found  ourselves  on  the 
Belgian  frontier,  where  we  were  most  politely 
received  by  two  Belgian  oflBcers.     We  had  left 
Paris  in  such  a  hurry  that  Joe  and  Lou  hadn't 
had    time   to   have   their     Touring   Club    cards 
properly   made   out  and   signed    Dy   the   proper 
authority.     However,    the   officials,    as    soon   as 
tney   had    satisfied     themselves   that     we   were 
genuine  tourists,  allowed  us  to  pass  on  without 
making  any  entry  on  their  book  at  all,  or  with- 
out giving  us  any  receipt  of  entry.     Soon  after 
crossing  the  frontier  we  found   a   path  at  the 
side  of  the  road  built  exclusively  for  the  use  of 

160 


cj'clists.  It  was  a  cinder  track,  and,  being  wet, 
was  a  bit  heavy,  but  was  a  welcome  relief  from 
the  riding  we  had  been  having,  and  by  this 
time  ought  to  be  in  perfect  condition. 

At  Mens,  which  is  less  than  an  hour's  ride 
from  the  frontier,  we  stopped  and  had  an  ex- 
cellent breakfast  at  one  of  the  cafes,  which  are 
many  and  easily  found  there.  Starting  on  our 
way  again,  the  rain  which  had  been  threatening 
tor  some  time,  came  down  in  earnest  and  at 
Soignie  we  took  the  train  to  Brussels. 

Brussels  is  a  town  which  has  a  reputation  for 
cheap  living.  However  that  may  be  from  the 
point  of  view  of  the  native,  or  the  foreigners 
who  reside  there,  it  is  certain  that  in  an  ex- 
position year  the  transient  visitor  will  not  be 
struck  with  this  alleged  characteristic  of  Bel- 
gium's capital.  The  hotels  we  tried  were  most 
of  them  expensive  and  didn't  want  to  take  you 
at  all  unless  you  took  board  as  well  as  rooms. 
We  finally  secured  very  good  rooms  over  Corde- 
man's  restaurant,  No.  2  Boulevard  Anspach. 

We  liked  this  restaurant  as  well  as  any  we 
found  in  Brussels,  and  it  was  vei'y  convenient 
for  us  living  in  that  way.  Joe  paid  four  trancs 
for  his  room  and  I  paid  the  same  for  mine. 
Every  citizen  of  the  country  who  rides  a  bi- 
cycle has  to  carry  a  great  white  enamel  plaque 
bearing  a  number  on  his  machine,  and  the 
rules  governing  cyclists  are  quite  strict.  One 
officious  young  policeman  stopped  me  because 
I  had  a  gong  or  a  "sonnette"  on   my  machine 

161 


instead  of  a  bell  or  a  "grelot"  As  I  was  a 
foreigner  he  didn't  do  anything  more  than  give 
me  a  word  of  advice  on  the  subject.  Later  on 
I  asked  an  older  policeman  about  this  point, 
who  told  me  that  while  the  young  officer  might 
be  technically  right,  he  was  evidently  suffering 
from  an  attack  of  over-zeal.  Joe  also  had  an 
experience,  being  stopped  by  a  policeman  while 
coasting  down  a  slight  declivity  near  the  ex- 
position grounds.  He  was  informed  that  bi- 
cyclists are  not  allowed  to  coast  in  Brussels. 
There  were  certain  streets,  too,  which  it  is 
against  the  city  ordinance  for  cyclists  to  ride 
through.  Of  course  the  foreign  rider  is  not 
obliged  to  register  his  machine  or  carry  a  big 
plaque  with  a  number,  unless  he  means  to 
make  a  prolonged  stay  there. 

After  several  days  in  Brussels  we  started  one 
afternoon  for  Antwerp,  which  is  only  two  or 
three  hours'  ride  from  Brussels.  Most  of  the 
way  the  road  lies  alongside  of  the  canal,  and 
much  of  it  is  shaded  by  great  trees.  Here,  as 
almost  everywhei'e  else  in  Belgium  and  Hol- 
land, the  road  is  level.  This  is  one  thing  which 
makes  cycling  there  easy  and  agreeable.  Lou 
said  that  while  she  liked  windmills  and  fields 
in  the  abstract,  when  one  gets  nothing  but 
windmills  and  fields,  with  a  few  canals  thrown 
in,  in  the  way  of  scenery,  it  begins  to  °-row  a 
little  monotonous 

Something  which  we  noticed  on  our  way  to 
Antwerp  was  that  as  we  neared  that  city  the 

162 


bicyclists  whom  we  met  began  to  pass  to  our 
right,  motioning  us  to  talve  the  left  of  the  road. 
This  seemed  odd,  as  up  to  this  point  everybody 
had  turned  to  the  right.  But  the  more  we  rode 
in  Holland  the  less  we  were  able  to  decide  as 
to  what  the  law  of  the  road  in  that  country  is. 
We  finally  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was 
largely  a  matter  of  locality,  and  that  in  some 
parts  of  Holland  you  keep  to  the  right,  while 
in  others  you  had  to  pass  those  whom  you  met 
on  the  left.  We  arrived  in  Antwerp  on  Sunday, 
and  after  riding  through  the  city,  went  to  the 
Grand  Cafe  Leopold.  We  ordered  dinner  on  the 
terrace  in  front  of  the  restaurant,  and  here  we 
had  an  adventure  which  I  will  recount  just  as 
an  instance  of  the  strange  experiences  one 
meets  with   while  touring. 


163 


CHAPTER    XV. 


Incidents  of   Travel. 

I  HE  dinner  was  ordered  and  after 
we  had  waited  an  iinreasonably 
long  time  for  the  soup  to  be  served, 
Joe  called  to  the  waitei%  who  at 
first   paid    no   attention,    and   then, 

turning  to  ns,  said,  insolently, 
"Don't  disturb  me  when  I'm  busy,  besides  you're 
not  an  orchestra  paid  to  make  music  for  me." 

The  fellow's  impudence  was  so  astounding 
that  at  first  we  didn't  know  what  to  think. 
Then  Joe  went  inside  to  interview  the  pro- 
prietor. The  waiter  followed  him  and  continued 
his  insolence  in  the  hearing  of  his  employer.  In 
a  moment  the  proprietor  came  out  himself  to 
take  our  order,  and  five  minutes  later  the  wait- 
er, in  his  street  clothes,  with  a  little  package 
in  his  hand,  came  up  to  our  table  and  made  an 
address  in  Belgian  French  something  to  this 
effect:  "For  three  long  years  I  have  worked 
here,  and  now  you  see  me  discharged  for  you, 
a  foreigner.  But  I  am  a  man,  and  my  hands  are 
hard,  and  my  arm  is  strong.     Your  liand  is  soft, 

164 


youv  arm  is  weak.  I  go,  but  I  will  be  reveiigeil. 
You  may  sit  here  till  long  after  midniglit,  but  i 
will  be  on  the  w'atch  from  behind  yonder  tree."' 

Nobody  made  any  reply  to  the  man,  thinking 
that  he  was  simply  drunk,  and  supposing  that 
the  proprietor  would  take  him  back  the  next 
day.  An  hour  later,  however,  Lou  looked  up 
and  exclaimed:  "There's  that  dreadful  man 
now."'  And  sure  enough  there  he  was,  on  the 
opposite  corner,  talking  to  a  woman  and  ges- 
ticulating and  pointing  to  us  in  an  excited  man- 
ner. 

A  moment  later  he  came  up  to  the  table 
again.  This  time  with  a  stout  stick,  with  its 
handle  loaded  with  lead,  under  his  arm.  Again 
he  made  a  little  address,  and  ^aen  informed  Joe 
that  he  was  warned  at  the  police  station.  Still 
we  paid  no  attention  to  the  man,  and  he  finally 
went  away,  only  to  return  almost  immediately, 
and  this  time  with  a  policeman,  who  beckoned 
to  Joe  to  leave  the  table  and  come  out  on  the 
sidewalk.  Instead  of  doing  so,  Joe  sent  for  the 
proprietor,  who  said  a  word  to  the  officer.  The 
officer,  proprietor  and  waiter  then  disappeared 
into  tlie  hotel,  lae  next  we  saw  of  the  man 
he  came  out  of  the  side  door  alone  with  the 
policeman,  who  apparently  was  taking  him  off 
to  the  police  station. 

However,  the  incident  rather  spoiled  the  din- 
ner and  made  Lou  very  nervous,  and  she 
dreamed  all  night  that  the  waiter  was  at  the 
front  door  waiting  for   us   to  come  out  in  the 

165 


morning  in  order  to  Ivnocii  Joe's  brains  out  witli 
his  loaded  cane. 

Lou's  fears,  however,  were  unfounded,  as  no- 
body was  lying  in  wait  for  us  when  we  mounted 
our  wheels  in  front  of  the  hotel  in  the  morning. 
First  we  rode  around  Antweri)  and  took  a  look 
at  some  of  the  museums  and  two  or  three  of  the 
most  interesting  art  galleries  to  be  found  there. 
For  a  continuance  of  the  tour,  we  had  planned 
that  day  to  reach  Eindhoven,  which  is  more 
than  fifty  kilometers  from  Antwerp.  On  in- 
quiry, however,  we  found  that  the  first  half  of 
this  distance  was  a  combination  of  continuous 
ascent  and  bad  roads.  We  therefore  decided  to 
take  the  ti'ain  to  Turnliout,  which  left  us  only 
between  twenty  and  thirty  kilometers  to  ride 
in  order  to  reach  Eindhoven.  It  may  be  well 
for  me  to  state  here  that  in  Belgium  and  Hol- 
land you  cannot  have  your  bicycle  carried  on 
the  train  as  cheaply  or  with  the  same  facility 
as  you  can  in  France.  In  France,  as  I  have  said, 
you  pay  two  cents,  and  on  handing  your  wheel 
to  the  porter  have  no  further  trouble  with  it. 
In  Belgium,  on  the  contrary,  you  pay  fifteen 
cents  for  your  wheel  and  the  employees  of  the 
railroad  company  are  not  obliged  to  handle  it 
at  all.  Therefore,  you  are  supposed  to  roll  your 
wheel  out  on  the  railroad  platform  yourself  and 
are  often  forced  to  put  it  in  the  baggage  car 
with  your  own  hand.  Of  course,  this  rule  may 
have  been  changed  since  I  was  in  Belgium,  as 
the  Touring  Club  of  Belgium  was  trying  when 

166 


I  was  there  last  summer  to  get  some  concession 
from  the  State  in  this  respect.  The  troubles  of 
the  Belgium  cyclists  were  generally  attributed 
to  the  fact  that  the  Minister  whose  department 
has  charge  of  the  railroads  of  that  country  is  a 
crusty  old  bachelor  who  doesn't  approve  of 
cycling.  Most  of  the  Belgian  railroads  being 
operated  by  the  State,  his  word  is  law  about  the 
matter. 

However,  we  managed  to  get  to  Turnhout 
with  our  machines  safe  and  sound,  and  then 
set  out  on  our  ride  to  Eindhoven,  which  we 
reached  shortly  before  nightfall.  The  road  be- 
tween Turnhout  and  Eindhoven  was  very  good 
as  far  as  wheeling  went,  and  in  cycling  through 
the  small  villages  we  did  not  encounter  the 
same  rough  cobble  stones  with  which  the 
streets  of  similar  places  in  France  are  paved. 
The  main  streets  of  the  villages  in  Holland  are 
also  paved,  but  with  peculiar  elongated  slabs 
of  stone  which  are  laid  together  in  much  the 
same  manner  as  the  strips  of  wood  on  a  bowling 
alley.  In  the  interior  of  Holland  one  finds  few 
persons  who  speak  either  French  or  English, 
and  one's  ingenuity  and  the  comprehensiveness 
of  one's  dictionary  are  taxed  to  the  utmost. 

On  our  arrival  at  Eindhoven  we  saw  a  dress- 
maker's sign  in  French  and  lost  no  time  in  call- 
ing on  her  to  see  whether  she  really  was  French 
or  not.  In  this  case  she  proved  to  be  the  real 
article,  and  after  giving  us  such  information  as 
we  desired,  she  directed  us  to  tlie  [rot(>l  Post- 
167 


huis,  which  was  kept  by  a  widow  with  three  or 
four  daughters.  The  hotel  was  a  model  of 
neatness  and  comfort,  and  the  mother  and  the 
daughters  spoke  with  considerable  facility  such 
French  as  they  had  acquired  at  boarding  school. 
You  must  not  expect  to  travel  in  Holland,  or  in 
Belgium,  as  cheaply  as  you  can  in  France  or 
Italy,  or  even  in  Switzerland  for  that  matter. 
At  Eindhoven  the  charge  was  three  francs  for 
each  person's  lodging,  whether  one  or  two  per- 
sons occupied  the  same  room.  The  dinners  were 
two  francs  fifty  centimes  for  each  person  with- 
out wine.  In  Holland  wine  is  dear  and  not  par- 
ticularly good,  l)ut  at  Eindhoven  we  found  for 
eight  cents  a  large  pony  of  cognac  which  far 
excelled  anything  we  ever  found  elsewhere  In 
Europe,  even  at  one  franc  the  thimbleful. 

The  following  day  Lou  made  her  record  ride 
of  one  hundred  kilometers.  She  said  afterwards 
if  she'd  known  that  we  were  making  her  ride 
so  far  she  would  have  been  too  tired  to  have 
finished  the  day's  journey.  From  Eindhoven 
we  rode  through  a  succession  of  fields  and 
windmills  to  Weert,  where  we  breakfasted  at 
the  Hotel  de  Roos.  The  name  of  the  man  who 
keeps  the  hotel  is  E.  Coenegracht.  How  Mr. 
Coenegracht  is  going  to  get  rich  we  couldn't 
quite  understand.  But  then  it  was  none  of  our 
business.  Here  was  his  bill  for  our  breakfast: 
Eight  beers,  one  glass  of  bitters,  three  break- 
fasts, three  coffees  with  cheese,  eighty-six 
cents.     This  would   have   been   cheap   even   for 

168 


Italy,    but    we    didn't    run    across    this    sort    of 
thing  often  in  Holland. 

Leaving  Weert,  we  passed  through  Maeseyck, 
and  spent  the  night  at  Maastrick.  We  were 
now  getting  rather  hurried,  as  we  wanted  to 
get  back  to  Brussels  in  time  to  spend  a  day  or 
two  there. 

The  next  morning  we  rode  to  Valkenberg. 
where  there  are  really  plenty  of  hills  and 
scenery.  This  district  is  known  as  the  local 
Switzerland,  and  Valkenberg  is  a  very  popular 
summer  resort.  We  were  now  so  near  the  fron- 
tier of  Germany  that  we  decided  to  cross  it  and 
ride  to  Aix  la  Chapelle,  to  take  a  look  at 
Charlemagne's  tomb  and  some  of  the  bits  of  the 
cross  on  which  the  Saviour  was  crucified.  Any- 
way, they  said  they  were  bits  of  the  cross,  and 
it  cost  two  francs  apiece  to  see  them,  so  I  guess 
they  were.  Neither  in  entering  Germany  nor  in 
crossing  the  frontier  again,  two  hours  later, 
were  we  molested  at  all  by  the  customs  officials. 
Riding  back  from  Germany  we  rode  for  about 
an  hour  in  Holland,  and  on  the  Belgium  frontier 
we  had  a  little  adventure. 

At  the  custom  house  we  showed  our  imper- 
fectly prepared  cards  of  identity  to  a  subordi- 
nate official,  who  told  us  that  we  could  proceed. 
Lou  and  I  rode  on,  while  Joe  stopped  to  ar- 
range something  about  his  machine.  Suppos- 
ing he  was  following  us,  we  rode  on  about 
eight  kilometers  before  we  decided  to  wait  for 
him.     When   he  did   catch    up   with    us   he   told 

169 


us  that  he  had  had  a  great  time  with  a  higher 
official,  who  had  come  out  and  rebuked  his  sub- 
ordinate for  having  allowed  us  to  pass.  He 
told  Joe  that  he  wasn't  a  Frenchman — no  one 
could  ever  hear  Joe's  accent  and  think  for  an 
instant  that  he  was — and  said  that  the  fact  that 
we  had  ridden  on  showed  that  there  was  some- 
thing irregular  about  us.  With  great  difficulty 
Joe  had  persuaded  the  official  to  allow  him  to 
go  on.  The  permission  was  accompanied  by 
the  information  that  he  intended  to  wire  custom 
officers  at  some  point  along  our  route  to  hold 
us  up  and  examine  all  of  our  papers  most  care- 
fully. 

Lou  said  he  needn't  have  taken  all  of  that 
trouble,  as  the  only  thing  irregular  about  Joe 
and  me  was  our  habits.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
we  never  heard  of  the  matter  again.  That  night 
we  slept  at  Verviers,  at  the  Hotel  de  I'Aigle 
Noir,  42  Place  du  Martyr.  Here  lodgings  were 
30  cents  for  each  person,  and  the  restaurant, 
where  we  dined  a  la  carte,  was  very  reasonable. 
The  following  morning  we  breakfasted  at 
Pepinster  and  then  rode  on  to  Rochefort,  where 
we  visited  the  famous  grottoes,  which  are  well 
worth  seeing,  and  attract  people  from  all  parts 
of  Europe.  Les  Grottes  de  Han  are  said  to  be 
finer  even  than  the  grotto  of  Rochefort.  They 
are  near  by,  but  we  didn't  have  time  to  go  there, 
and  as  the  weather  began  to  be  bad,  we  took 
the  train  that  afternoon  for  Brussels.  While 
in   Brussels   we   rode   out   to   the   scene   of   the 

170 


HI 


'^^ 


iuMj 


"^1        #:; 
is- 


.-^- 


U-HRR7<:   WKMJNGTON   SI.KI'T   OX    TIIIC    IvVI;    OF 
NAI'OI.KOX'S   WATKKr.OO. 


battle  of  Waterloo,  a  trip  which  no  one  who 
visits  Brussels  should  fail  to  take.  The  wheel- 
ing out  and  back  was  very  good,  and  the  round 
trip  is  only  a  matter  of  about  thirty  kilometers. 
A  ride  out  to  Aywaille  and  to  the  Bois  de  la 
Cambre  are  also  well  worth  while. 

After  twenty-four  hours  in  Brussels  we  had 
just  time  to  ride  back  to  Paris  over  the  route 
by  which  we  had  come  before  the  two  weeks 
were  up.  It  was  in  the  following  September 
that  we  set  out  on  our  ride  to  Venice,  whicn  has 
already  been  described. 


172 


CHAPTER     XVI. 

European  Traveling  as  seen  by  Mr.  Luce 

R.  ROBERT  LUCE,  of  Boston, 
who  has  traveled  much  in  Eu- 
rope and  who  lectures  on 
"Switzerland,"  "From  Monte 
Carlo  to  Venice,"  "Rome,"  "The 
Bay  of  Naples,"  and  other  kindred  subjects,  has 
published  a  little  book,  entitled  "Going 
Abroad?"  which  comprises  much  useful  infor- 
mation for  tourists  generally,  from  which  I  cull 
the  following  extracts,  with  the  permission  of 
the  author.  Mr.  Luce's  book,  which  contains 
about  200  pages,  covers  nearly  every  branch  of 
European  travel  and  can  be  had  by  addressing 
Robert  Luce,  68  Devonshire  St.,  Boston,  or 
through  your  newsdealer.  The  price  of  the 
book  is  50  cents,  paper,  or  $1  in  cloth. 

Mr.  Luce  makes  a  reference  to  an  organiza- 
tion for  women,  which  I  have  already  men- 
tioned as  existing  in  Boston,  and  adds  some 
comments  of  his  own  as  to  the  conditions  under 
which  unprotected  women  travel  abroad.  On 
these  subjects  Mr.  Luce  says: 

17.'? 


In  the  mere  matter  of  travel  Europe  offers 
far  more  comfort  and  convenience  than  Amer- 
ica to  women  journeying  aione  or  in  parties 
without  men.  They  need  never  touch  their  lug- 
gage unless  they  choose.  At  hotels  and  rail- 
way stations  they  will  always  be  more  courte- 
ously treated  than  men — and  that  is  saying  a 
good  deal.  And  the  "unprotected  female"  needs 
no  protection.  English  women  think  nothing 
of  taking  their  vacations  on  the  Continent,  and 
a  journey  from  New  York  to  Los  Angeles  pre- 
sents more  terrors  than  one  from  London  to 
Constantinople  or  Cairo. 

To  make  foreign  travel  still  easier,  there  ex- 
ists an  admirable  organization  called  the  Wo- 
men's Rest  Tour  Association,  which  may  be  ad- 
dressed at  264  Boylston  Street,  Boston.  "Its 
object  is  to  furnish  women  who  wish  to  travel 
for  purposes  of  rest  and  study  with  such  prac- 
tical advice  and  encouragement  as  shall  enable 
them  to  do  so  independently,  intelligently  and 
economically.  It  is  not  designed  for  the  con- 
venience of  women  who  organize  or  conduct 
large  parties."  And  it  may  be  added  that  it  is 
in  no  way  a  money-making  institution,  there 
being  neither  salaries  nor  dividends  for  any- 
body in  it.  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Howe  is  the  presi- 
dent, and  other  well-known  New  England  wo- 
men are  on  the  board  of  officers.  It  publishes 
a  handbook  of  travel,  entitled  "A  Summer  in 
England"  (to  which  I  would  here  give  credit  for 
some  of  the  information  hereafter  given);   is- 

174 


sues  yearly  a  revised  list  of  accredited  lodg- 
ings and  pensions  over  all  Europe,  with  details 
concerning  prices  and  accommodations;  pub- 
lishes an  occasional  paper  called  The  Pilgrim 
Scrip,  devoted  to  travel  and  life  abroad:  ex- 
changes introductions  between  members  who 
desire  company;  lends  money  from  its  travel- 
ing fund  (under  careful  supervision)  to  provide 
vacation  trips  for  women  greatly  in  need  of 
rest  and  change;  advises  in  regard  to  travel; 
lends  from  its  library  of  Baedeker  guide-books 
for  the  European  trip;  and  in  minor  ways  ac- 
complishes its  laudable  purpose.  The  fee  for 
the  first  year's  membership  is  $2;  annual  fee 
thereafter,  $1;  life  membership,  $25.  If  but  a 
small  part  of  the  wealthy  American  women  who 
get  enjoyment  out  of  a  trip  abroad  would,  by 
becoming  life  members  of  this  association,  aid  it 
in  helping  their  less  fortunate  sisters  to  the 
same  enjoyment,  its  sphere  of  usefulness  could 
be  greatly  widened. 

Speaking  of  the  difficulty  of  securing  berths 
on  ocean  steamers  during  the  summer  season. 
Mr.  Luce  says: 

From  November  to  April  there  is  usually 
plenty  of  room,  and  travelers  to  whom  crossing 
is  an  old  story  frequently  take  no  more  precau- 
tions than  they  would  to  secure  a  berth  In  a 
sleeping  car  for  Chicago  or  St.  Louis.  In  the 
winter,  payment  for  a  single  berth  usually  se- 
cures a  whole  stateroom  to  yourself,  and  you 
have  practically  the  pick  of  the   boat.     Some- 

17.-1 


times  on  the  smaller  boats  there  will  not  be 
half  a  dozen  first  cabin  passengers. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  both  economy  and 
comfort,  then,  it  is  wiser  if  practicable  to  travel 
when  the  winter  rates  are  in  force.  The  fear 
of  stormy  weather  doubtless  deters  many  peo- 
ple from  doing  this,  but  the  fact  is  that  though 
the  chances  of  severe  storms  are  greater  in  win- 
ter than  in  summer,  they  are  not  enough 
greater  to  cut  any  figure  with  those  who  cross 
repeatedly.  This  matter  of  storms  is  largely 
one  of  luck. 

Mr.  Luce  sizes  up  the  climatic  condition  of 
various  parts  of  Europe  as  follows: 

Save  in  such  sheltered  spots  as  San  Remo  or 
Ventimiglia,  the  scenery  of  Italy  is  naturally 
at  its  worst  in  winter,  for  then  the  landscape 
is  brown  and  bare.  It  is  at  its  best  in  April 
and  May,  before  the  sun  has  begun  to  burn  up 
things.  June  is  a  charming  month  at  Venice, 
though  some  of  its  days  are  uncomfortably 
warm.  In  mid-summer  the  climate  is  much  like 
that  of  the  United  States,  frequently  too  hot  for 
sight-seeing,  yet  with  many  comfortable 
periods.  Few  of  the  army  of  American  tourists 
then  go  south  of  Florence,  but  European  trav- 
elers, and  especially  Germans,  think  nothing  of 
visiting  Rome  in  July  or  August,  and  I  have 
met  people  who  declared  they  suffered  riot  the 
slightest  inconvenience  at  Naples  in  dog-days. 

The  notion  that  Rome  must  not  be  visited  in 
summer  on  account  of  the  malaria  in  the  Cam- 

176 


pagna  is  no  longer  supported  by  those  in  a  posi- 
tion to  speak  with  authority.  Of  course  it  is 
dangerous  to  promenade  after  dark  on  the 
Campagna,  just  as  it  is  in  a  Western  river  bot- 
tom, or  anywhere  else  that  malaria  abounds, 
but  tourists  do  not  promenade  on  th(?  Cam- 
pagna after  dark,  nor  do  they  drive  across  it 
after  dark,  as  they  often  did  before  the  time  of 
railroads,  when  I  suspect  it  was  that  Rome  got 
Its  bad  name  as  a  summer  resort.  It  does  not 
yet  deserve  a  good  name,  but  it  is  no  worse 
than  our  Southern  States  in  the  summer 
months,  and  if  a  tourist  cannot  well  go  south 
of  Florence  at  any  other  time,  there  is  little 
except  the  dread  of  perspiration  to  keep  him 
from  going  in  July  or  August. 

The  Italian  summer  is  much  like  that  of  Vir- 
ginia or  Kentucky,  comfortable  enough,  but  less 
attractive  than  the  spring. 

Switzerland,  for  the  passing  tourist,  is  of 
course  to  be  visited  in  summer,  and  in  August 
rather  than  in  June  or  July,  if  any  mountain 
climbing  is  to  be  done,  for  while  the  snows  are 
melting  in  early  summer,  the  heights  are  the 
more  dangerous.  In  September  the  air  gets 
chilly  and  the  shoi'tening  of  the  days  is  em- 
phasized by  the  deep  valleys.  Many  foreigners 
pass  the  winter  about  Lake  Geneva.  i)articu- 
larly  at  its  eastern  end,  and  there  are  a  few 
winter  resorts  at  high  altitudes,  almost  wholly 
freriuented  by  invalids  for  whose  needs  a  pe- 
culiar climate  is  desirable;  but  to  the  ordinary 
traveler  Switzerland  in  winter  is  dreary. 

177 


Germany's  climate  is  much  like  that  of  New- 
England  and  tne  Middle  States,  with  plenty  of 
snow  and  with  skating  a  favorite  amusement. 
Yet,  though  cold  weather  prevails,  people  who 
have  passed  winters  in  Germany  and  also  in 
Italy,  say  they  prefer  Germany  because  the 
houses  are  warmly  built  and  well  provided  with 
stoves. 

Holland  and  Belgium  are  very  cold  in  winter, 
and  see  few  tourists  at  that  season. 

Athens  has  an  equable  climate,  which  in  time 
Is  going  to  make  it  one  of  the  most  popular 
winter  resorts  on  the  Mediterranean.  With  the 
sea  south  of  it,  and  hills  rising  to  mountains 
behind,  it  has  a  situation  midway  that  of  an 
island  and  a  continent.  The  spring  and  autumn 
there  are  charming;  snow  falls  in  winter  only 
once  or  twice  in  years:  fogs  are  rare.  The 
summers  are  long,  but  the  winds  coming  over 
the  Aegean  temper  Tls  heats. 

Southern  Spain  is  much  like  Southern  Italy 
in  winter.  Water  rarely  freezes  at  Gibraltar. 
Oranges  may  be  picked  from  the  trees  about 
Cadiz,  Jerez  and  Seville  in  February;  but  Gra- 
nada, surrounded  by  mountains,  is  apt  to  be 
chilly,  and  not  long  after  leaving  Cordova  on 
the  journey  toward  the  north  the  mercury  be- 
gins to  drop.  At  Madrid  snowdrifts  in  winter 
are  not  uncommon  and  the  climate  is  like  that 
of  a  city  in  our  Northern  States.  All  of  Spain 
is  very  warm  in  summer,  so  that  the  best  time 
for  traveling  tnrough  it  is  in  the  spring  or  fall. 

178 


Morocco  and  Algiers  should  certainly  be  vis- 
ited in  winter.  Egypt  is  now  visited  by  throngs 
in  the  late  winter  and  early  spring,  but  not 
many  people  go  or  stay  there  after  April.  Like- 
wise the  Holy  Land  and  the  Far  East  are  best 
visited   in  winter  or  early  spring. 

If,  then,  the  traveler  had  the  time  and  money 
to  change  his  climate  like  the  birds,  he  would 
attain  the  maximum  of  comfort  if  he  passed 
.January  and  February  in  Northern  Africa; 
March  in  Palestine  and  Turkey;  April  and  May 
in  Italy,  Southern  France  and  Spain;  June  in 
Paris  and  England;  July  and  August  in  Switz- 
erland, or  Norway,  Sweden  and  Russia;  Sep- 
tember in  Germany;  October  in  Austria;  No- 
vember in  Greece;  December  in  Sicily.  Not 
that  these  are  positively  the  best  months  for 
each  country  named,  but  that  this  might  make 
the  best  circular  tour  for  a  year,  from  the 
climatic  point  of  view. 

Some  of  the  principal  sporting  events,  as 
well  as  others  of  interest,  in  the  musical  and 
social  world,  are  thus  summarized: 

In  Paris  the  Grand  Prix  is  run  on  a  Sunday 
early  in  June. 

The  Oxford-Cambridge  boat  race  is  rowed  on 
the  Thames  near  London,  usually  in  Mai'ch. 
The  "eights'  week"  at  Oxford  comes  in  the 
middle  of  May;  the  Henley  regatta  late  in  June 
or  July. 

The  cricket  match  between  Oxford  and  Cam- 
bridge is  played  near  the  end  of  June,  and  be- 

179 


tween  Eton  and  Harrow  usually  in  July.  As 
with  us,  football  is  a  fall  sport,  but  lasts  later, 
games  being  played  up  to  Christmas  time.  The 
Oxford-Cambridge  match  in  1896  took  place 
Dec.  9. 

Oxford  is  at  its  best  during  the  Trinity  term, 
from  the  middle  of  May  to  the  middle  of  July; 
and  Commemoration  Week,  usually  the  second 
or  third  in  June,  is  the  gayest. 

The  salons  at  Paris — there  are  now  two  of 
them — open  in  May  and  are  kept  open  for  some 
weeks.  The  Royal  Academy  in  London  is  open 
from  the  first  Monday  in  May  to  the  first  Mon- 
day in  August. 

When  there  is  a  Wagnerian  festival  at  Bay- 
reuth,  it  comes  in  mid-summer,  but  if  you  want 
to  go  you  must  write  for  tickets  weeks  and  even 
months  ahead;  even  then  you  may  not  get 
them.  A  letter  addressed  to  the  management 
at  Bayreuth  will  procure  the  necessary  in- 
formation. 

The  fountains  at  Versailles  generally  play 
between  4  and  5  of  the  afternoon  on  the  first 
Suiiday  of  each  month  from  May  to  October; 
those  of  St.  Cloud  at  the  same  hour  on  the  sec- 
ond Sunday  of  the  month.  The  spectacle  at 
Versailles  costs  about  $2,000  and  is  well  worth 
taking  much  pains  to  see. 

The  flower  festival  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne 
at  Paris  comes  about  the  time  of  the  Grand 
Prix,  early  in  June. 

The  Paris  Exposition  will  open  April  1-5  and 
close  Nov.  5,  1900. 

ISO 


As  to  the  ocean  trip  and  the  attendant  ex- 
penses, Mr.  Luce  has  this  to  say: 

At  the  end  of  a  trip  every  passenger  on  a 
trans-Atlantic  steamer  is  supposed  to  give  fees. 
It  is  an  unwritten  law,  but  as  binding  as  the 
English  constitution.  The  amount  to  be  given 
always  worries  the  novice,  who  dreads  giving 
too  little,  and  usually  begrudges  giving  too 
much.  If  you  give  $2.50  to  the  man  who  waits 
on  you  at  table,  and  a  like  amount  to  the  man 
or  woman  who  takes  care  of  your  stateroom,  he 
or  she  will  be  perfectly  satisfied;  that  much  and 
no  more  is  expected;  if  more  is  given,  you  are 
thought  generous,  but  no  benefit  accrues  to  you, 
and  often  but  slight  benefit  to  the  recipient,  for 
frequently  the  receipts  of  all  the  stewards  are 
pooled  at  the  end  of  the  trip  and  then  divided 
equitably.  So,  in  making  a  large  gift,  you  but 
present  so  much  money  to  the  whole  body  of 
stewards. 

For  one,  I  see  no  reason  why  a  head  steward 
should  be  feed.  It  is  virtually  a  duty  to  fee  the 
under  stewards,  because  their  wages  are  small, 
in  the  expectation  that  they  will  receive  enough 
from  passengers  to  make  their  earnings  reason- 
able. This  is  not  the  case  with  the  head  steward 
or  anybody  else  on  the  ship.  The  men  who  fre- 
quent the  smoking  room  usually  make  up  a 
purse  for  the  smoking  room  steward,  but  that 
is  wholly  a  matter  of  generosity.  The  deck 
steward  usually  receives  a  small  free  from  those 
who  have  frequently  called  upon  him  for  serv- 

181 


ices,  and  the  passenger  who  is  soasiclt  usually 
calls  upon  him  a  good  deal. 

These  hints  for  traveling  on  the  Continent 
also  come  from  the  pen  of  the  same  author: 

The  only  important  difference  between  a  first 
and  second  class  compartment  is  that  the  first- 
class  has  either  six  or  eight  seats  to  a  compart- 
ment, three  or  four  looking  front  and  three 
or  four  back — the  second-class  has  ten,  one 
more  on  each  side.  When  all  the  seats  are 
taken  this  is  a  slight  disadvantage  against  the 
second-class,  but  that  very  rarely  happens,  not 
once  in  fifty  rides.  Indeed,  there  are  seldom 
more  than  four  people  in  a  first  or  second-class 
compartment — or  perhaps  I  would  better  say  it 
is  generally  possible  to  find  a  compartment,  if 
you  wish,  that  has  not  more  than  two  or  three 
occupants.  In  several  months'  journeying,  two 
of  us  had  second-class  compartments  to  our- 
selves more  than  two-thirds  of  the  time,  and 
never  tipped  the  guard.  That,  however,  might 
not  be  the  case  on  the  main  lines  of  travel  in 
July  and  Augiist. 

In  cost  the  proportions,  averaged  from  fares 
in  many  countries,  are:  First-class,  one  dollar; 
second-class,  seventy-three  cents;  third-class, 
fifty-two  cents.  In  other  words,  speaking  in 
round  numbers,  first-class  costs  a  third  more 
than  second;  third-class  a  third  less  than  sec- 
ond, and  half  as  much  as  first. 

The  berths  in  European  sleeping  cars  are 
even  more  uncomfortable  than  ours,  and  their 

182 


cost  makes  it  safe  to  lay  down  the  rule  never 
to  travel  by  night  if  you  can  iDossibly  help  it. 
Some  I'oads  have  flrst-elass  and  second-class 
sleeping  compartments.  Bean  tells  me  he  has 
tried  both,  and  finds  no  difference  except  in  the 
price. 

Usually  tickets  for  the  through  trains  are  ten 
per  cent,  higher  than  those  for  accommodation 
trains,  but  the  time  saved  is  worth  ten  times  the 
extra  cost.  What  we  should  call  the  "limited" 
train  from  Rome  to  Naples  takes  five  and  one- 
fourth  houis:  the  express,  six  and  one-fourth, 
and  the  accommodation,  eleven  bourse.  The 
distance  is  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  miles. 

Bean,  who  always  goes  second-class,  tells  me 
that  once  he  kept  a  record  of  every  ticket 
bought  while  journeying  twenty-seven  hundred 
miles  by  short  stages,  and  found  he  had  aver- 
aged to  pay  $0.0266  a  mile.  On  the  same  jour- 
ney first-class  fares  would  have  averaged 
$0.0364  a  mile:  third-class,  $0,189.  On  any  one 
road,  the  price  per  mile  is  the  same  whether 
you  travel  five  miles,  fifty,  or  five  hundred,  ex- 
cept in  the  few  regions  where  the  zone  system  of 
rates  prevails,  and  the  ordinary  traveler  does 
find  those. 

The  price  of  tickets  is  printed  on  the  time- 
tables hung  up  in  the  station,  and  in  the  time- 
table books  that  are  issued. 

Children  travel  free  up  to  the  age  of  three 
years  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  Conti- 
nent;   in    Austria   and    Switzerland,    n|)    to    two 

183 


years.  In  Norway  and  Sweden  half  price  is 
charged  between  three  and  twelve;  in  Austria 
and  Switzerland,  between  two  and  ten.  In  Ger- 
many two  children  under  ten  travel  on  one 
ticket;  a  single  child  pays  third-class  fare  to 
travel  second;  second-class  to  travel  first.  In 
Belgium  three-quarters  fare  is  charged  for  chil- 
dren from  three  to  eight;  in  France,  half  fare 
from  three  to  seven.  When  you  are  buying  a 
ticket  for  a  child,  it  is  always  advisable  to  let 
the  ticket  seller  see  the  child. 

From  his  experiences  in  traveling  by  boat 
Mr.  Luce  has  arrived  at  the  following  deduc- 
tions: 

First-class  tickets  come  much  nearer  being 
necessary  on  European  steamboats  than  on 
European  railways.  As  a  rule  the  best  accom- 
modations on  the  boats  are  none  too  good.  The 
best  known  boats,  those  crossing  the  English 
Channel,  would  not,  for  the  most  part,  be  tol- 
erated on  lines  of  equal  importance  in  America; 
they  draw  only  six  or  seven  feet  of  water,  which 
is  one  reason  why  they  are  so  sure  to  make 
passengers  seasick  when  the  water  is  the  least 
bit  rough.  But  don't  think  that  inevitable.  I 
have  crossed  the  channel  when  from  one  side 
to  the  other  we  could  not  see  anything  that 
properly  could  be  called  a  wave. 

On  river  and  lake  boats,  before  you  get  your 
ticket,  wait  to  see  what  parts  of  the  boat  are 
allotted  to  first  and  second-class  passengers,  re- 
spectively.    For  an  all-day  ride,   such   as   that 

184 


on  the  Rhine,  the  freedom  of  the  whole  boat 
given  by  a  first-class  ticket  is  in  any  event  de- 
sirable. On  the  Lake  of  Thun  the  second-class 
accommodations  are  for  sight  seeing  and  pleas- 
ure much  superior  to  those  allotted  the  first- 
class  passengers,  who  usually  crowd  forward 
into  the  second-class  seats,  in  spite  of  their 
tickets;  but  on  the  Lake  of  Brienz,  only  a  mile 
or  so  away,  the  second-class  accommodations 
are  miserable.  On  Lake  Geneva  it  costs  one 
dollar  and  fifty  cents  to  go  from  end  to  end  of 
the  lake  first-class;  sixty  cents  second  class,  and 
in  pleasant  weather  the  second-class  seats  are 
better,  being  ahead  of  the  smoke-stack  and  giv- 
ing the  finer  views. 

Referring  to  bicycling,  Mr.  Luce  is  authority 
for  the  following  statements: 

There  are  many  flinty  roads  in  England,  es- 
pecially south  of  London,  and  though  France 
has  the  best  highways  in  the  world,  they  are 
made  of  flinty  material  and  demand  good  tires 
to  stand  the  strain.  Many  riders  have  found  it 
desirable  to  reinforce  their  tires  by  a  strip  of 
rubber  going  round  the  tire  where  the  most 
wear  comes,  say  an  inch  and  a  half  wide.  It 
may  cost  .$3  to  have  this  put  on.  Only  the  rash 
wheelman  will  make  a  foreign  trip  without  a 
tire  repair  outfit,  or  at  least  a  supply  of  tape 
to  cover  a  puncture  till  a  repair  shop  can  be 
reached.  Yet  many  a  returning  rider  will  re- 
port having  gone  through  Europe  without  a 
single  puncture. 

185 


The  Inick  roads  of  Holland  are  disliked  by 
some  wheelmen — praised  by  others.  As  in  Hol- 
land more  than  in  most  other  countries,  the 
villages  and  rural  districts  are  the  more  pic- 
turesque and  the  less  spoiled  by  the  quick-tour 
people,  and  as  there  are  absolutely  no  hills  to 
climb,  it  is  surely  worth  the  wheelman's  atten- 
tion. "The  roads  of  Spain,"  declares  one  bi- 
cycler, "are  good,  as  a  rule,  though  not  equal 
to  those  in  France  and  Italy.  A  trip  through 
any  one  of  our  States  would  be  a  more  formid- 
able undertaking  than  one  through  Spain.  Of 
course  we  attracted  universal  attention,  but  it 
was  always  accompanied  by  courteous  respect." 
Normandy  is  another  delightful  region  for  bi- 
.  cycling,  and  Touraine  is  declared  a  paradise  for 
wheelmen.  In  Northern  France  the  climate  in 
summer  is  excellent  for  the  sport,  being  much 
less  wet  than  that  of  England,  and  averaging 
considerably  cooler  than  that  of  the  United 
States. 

A  favorite  trip  is  from  Rotterdam  or  Amster- 
dam up  the  Rhine  Valley  to  Switzerland,  and 
then  from  Geneva  straight  to  Paris  and  the  sea. 
Home-coming  wheelmen  who  had  just  made 
this  trip  told  me,  however,  that  if  they  were 
to  do  it  again,  they  would  reverse  it,  so  as  to 
elide  down  the  Rhine  Valley  rather  than  climb 
it.  Such  a  trip  from  New  York  to  New  York, 
with  first-class  passage  on  a  slow  line,  could 
handily  be  made  in  two  months,  at  a  total  cost 
of  from  two  to  three  hundred  dollars,  according 

1S6 


to  the  hotel  accommodations  demanded.  By 
crossing  second-class  and  economizing  on  the 
other  side,  it  can  be  done  for  $150  or  even  less. 
but  most  people  would  not  enjoy  what  they 
would  get  for  an  expenditure  of  under  $200. 

The  postal  systems  abroad  leave  little  per- 
plexity for  the  bicycle  tourist  in  the  matter  of 
luggage.  He  is  almost  sure  to  want  more  than 
lie  can  well  carry  on  his  wheel,  but  large  par- 
cels are  sent  by  post  at  comparatively  slight 
cost,  and  a  valise  can  be  mailed  with  the  cer- 
tainty that  it  will  reach  your  destination  be- 
fore you  can  get  there  on  your  wheel,  unless 
you  are  to  go  but  a  very  short  distance.  The 
notion  of  mailing  a  heavy  valise  for  20  cents 
or  so  strikes  Americans  with  a  force  that  they 
remember  when  they  get  home  and  wonder 
whether  our  own  postal  department  does  for  us 
quite  all  it  might. 

Referring  again  to  the  fee  system  the  writer 
says: 

If  the  chambermaid  does  for  you  anything 
outside  her  routine  work,  she  should  get  a  fee, 
always  small;  otherwise,  ignore  her  when  she 
lies  in  wait  for  you  as  you  descend  the  hotel 
stairs  the  last  time. 

The  declaration  of  too  many  tourists  that 
you  must  fee  everybody  in  a  European  hotel  is 
all  nonsense.  The  porter  and  the  waiter  are 
the  indispensables,  and  so  with  the  baggage 
porter,  if  you  have  trunks  or  let  him  black 
your  boots.     The  others  are  mere  charities. 

m 


As  to  amounts,  the  general  rule  is  ten  per 
cent,  of  the  bill  if  you  stay  but  one  night  or 
take  a  single  meal.  This  applies  whether  the 
bill  is  twenty  cents  or  two  dollars  or  twenty 
dollars.  A  penny  in  the  shilling  is  all  that 
English  waiters  expect;  ten  centimes  (or  two 
cents)  in  the  franc  all  that  French  waiters  ex- 
pect. Where  a  hotel  bill  is  above  ^wo  dollars, 
a  percentage  as  low  as  five  per  cent,  may  be 
given  without  surprise.  On  paying  a  bill  of  five 
dollars  at  a  hotel  it  would  be  the  usual  thing 
to  give  the  waiter  twenty  cents,  the  portier 
twenty  cents,  and  the  chambermaid  five  cents. 
On  paying  eight  dollars,  you  might  give  no 
more  and  no  comment  would  be  even  looked; 
or  you  might  make  it  thirty  cents  for  the 
waiter,  the  same  for  the  portier,  and  five  or 
ten  cents  for  the  chambermaid. 

Never  pay  any  fees  until  your  bili  is  pre- 
sented. You  are  not  expected  to  dole  out  the 
pennies  or  francs  from  meal  to  meal,  or,  indeed, 
at  any  time  before  you  go  away. 

Look  at  it  purely  as  a  matter  of  business.  Tf 
you  haven't  the  change,  make  the  waiter  or  the 
porter  or  whoever  you  want  to  fee,  get  your 
money  changed,  and  give  what  you  meant  to 
give,  no  more.  In  an  American  hotel  that 
would  be  thought  stingy;  abroad  it  is  thought 
the  natural  thing. 

The  idea  that  even  servants  in  private  hoi'ses 
must  be  feed  is  the  most  repugnant  of  all  to 
American  instincts.     Yet  go  to  an  ninglish  man- 

188 


sion  of  rank  for  even  a  stay  from  Saturday  to 
Monday,  and  you  are  expected  to  remember  the 
butler  and  the  footman  to  the  tune  of  a  dollar 
or  so. 

In  pensions,  ten  per  cent,  of  the  bills  would 
be  an  unusual  distribution.  If  you  stay  several 
weeks,  five  per  cent,  will  be  a  great  plenty,  and 
two  or  three  per  cent,  is  probably  nearer  the 
common  thing. 

Cab  drivers  are  usually  made  happy  liy  ten 
per  cent.,  though  in  such  a  place  as  Naples, 
where  the  prescribed  fare  is  abnormally  low 
(fourteen  cents),  to  give  a  lira,  twenty  cents, 
is  frequent. 

In  museums  and  galleries,  fees  of  ten  cents 
predominate.  It  is  always  safe  to  start  on  that; 
if  more  is  the  custom,  don't  fear  that  you  will 
not  be  told  of  it. 

Mr.  Luce's  experiences  with  the  cab  system 
in  Europe  as  he  has  found  it  is  thus  ex- 
plained: 

In  the  cities  the  cab  and  omnibus  play  a 
much  more  important  part  than  on  this  side  of 
the  water.  Cab  hire  is  ridiculously  cheap  on 
the  Continent,  and  all  well-to-do  people,  natives 
as  well  as  foreigners,  make  habitual  use  of  the 
cab.  The  prescribed  rates  ai'e  to  be  found  on 
a  card  in  every  vehicle,  and  therefore  no  ad- 
vance bargain  is  necessary  so  long  as  you  keep 
inside  the  city  limits;  hut  plan  an  excursion 
into  the  country  and  a  bargain  in  advance 
should  always  be  made.     The  charge  is  almost 

189 


invariably  according  to  the  nature  of  the 
vehicle  or  the  distance  traveled — not  in  pro- 
portion to  the  number  of  occupants.  Two  peo- 
ple, and  often  three,  can  ride  as  cheap  as  one 
person,  but  since  four  or  more  people  require 
a  larger  cab  or  two  horses,  there  is  a  larger 
fare.  It  is  the  invariable  custom  to  fee  the 
driver — five  cents  being  the  average  tip  on  short 
drives.  In  Naples,  where  the  regulations  let 
the  drivers  charge  only  fourteen  cents  to  go 
anywhere  in  the  city  limits,  a  lira  (twenty 
cents),  would  usually  be  given  to  the  driver, 
but  if  you  gave  him  only  sixteen  or  eighteen 
cents  he  would  not  seriously  demur.  Through- 
out most  of  Europe  you  may  reckon  on  giving 
twenty  to  thirty  cents  for  a  cab  fare,  with  four 
or  five  cents  as  pourboire. 

How  exact  Mr.  Luce  may  be  in  the  details  I 
cannot  say,  but  he  gives  the  following  informa- 
tion as  to  certain  articles  which  an  American 
may  have  with  him  and  find  dutiable  in  various 
countries : 

Dutiable  goods  in  Great  Britain  are  tobac- 
co, wines,  liquors,  tea,  coffee,  cocoa  and  Florida 
water.  American  reprints  of  English  works 
and  copyright  music  are  absolutely  confiscated. 
Firearms  and  ammunition  cannot  be  landed  in 
Ireland,  unless  declared  to  customs  and  will 
then  be  detained  until  a  magistrate's  warrant 
to  carry  them  has  been  granted. 

In  France,  tobacco,  wines  and  liquors  are 
subject  to  duty.     Matches  are  strictly  prohibited 

190 


and  liable  to  confiscation,  as  also  tobacco,  ex- 
cept small  quantities  for  personal  use.  House- 
hold goods  and  wearing  apparel  admitted  free, 
with  but  few  if  any  questions  asked.  The  pen- 
alty for  false  declarations  is  heavy. 

In  Germany,  Switzerland,  Italy  and  Belgium 
the  only  articles  subject  to  duty  which  travelers 
would  be  likely  to  carry  are  tobacco  and  spirits, 
and  on  these  the  duty  is  trifling. 

These  reflections  on  shopping  in  Europe  may 
prove  of  interest  to  some  travelers: 

It  is  chiefly  by  reason  of  specialties  that 
European  shopping  can  rightfully  attract  Amer- 
ican buyers,  not  alone  because  special  applica- 
tion to  any  one  industry  by  a  large  part  of  the 
people  of  a  locality  is  sure  to  make  its  price 
cheap,  but  also  because  an  excess  of  production 
results  in  greater  latitude  for  selection.  Geneva 
may  again  illustrate,  for  besides  watches,  it 
makes  a  specialty  of  music  boxes,  and  nowhere 
else  can  you  find  such  a  variety  at  such  cheap 
prices.  Of  other  specialties  the  tourist  will  do 
well  to  buy — 

Tortoise  shell,  coral  and  lava  in  Naples. 

Wood  carving  in  Switzerland,  the  Black  For- 
est, Sorrento,  Norway  and  Sweden. 

Silks  in  Genoa,  Milan  and  Lyons. 

Silver  and  gold  filagree  work  in  Genoa. 

Cameos,  mosaics  and  many  other  kinds  of 
ornaments  in  Florence,  Venice  and  Rome — 
Florence  being  the  cheapest. 

Pearls  and  turquoises  in   Rome  and   Florence. 

191 


Gloves  in  Naples,  Genoa,  Milan  and  Paris. 
Artificial  flowers  in  Paris. 
Laces  in  Antwerp,  Brussels,  Venice  and  Se- 
ville. 
Venetian  glass,  of  course,  in  Venice. 
Umbrellas  in  Milan  or  Switzerland. 
Toilet     articles— soaps,     perfumes,     sponges, 
etc. — in  the  German  cities  and  in  Paris. 
Silk  underwear,  Sorrento  and  Milan. 
Cutlery,  old  silverware,  and  Sheffield  plate,  in 
London. 
Engravings  and  all  reproductions,  in  Berlin. 
The  cheaper  stones — amethysts,  topaz,  cairn- 
gorns,  etc. — in  Switzerland  and  Scotland. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  in  the  foregoing  list 
the  names  of  Italian  cities  predominate.  It  is 
the  general  rule  abroad  that  as  you  go  south, 
prices  drop.  The  easier  it  is  to  live,  the  lower 
the  price  the  workman  will  take.  And  the 
easier  it  is  to  live,  the  more  children  and  so  the 
more  competition  for  work.  That  is  why  Italy 
abounds  in  bargains. 

These  hints  as  to  postal  matter  may  also 
prove  available: 

All  European  countries,  as  well  as  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  are  now  in  the  Postal 
Union,  and  the  rates  from  any  one  country  to 
any  other  are  virtually  the  same  correspond- 
ing in  the  coinage  of  the  country  in  question  to 
the  following  on  mail  matter  sent  from  the 
United  States:  — 
Letters,  each  half  ounce 5  cts. 

192 


Postal  cards 2  cts. 

Newpapers.  books  and  other  printed 

matter,  each  two  ounces 1   ct. 

Commercial  papers: 
Packets  not  in  excess  of  ten  ounces 

for   each    two   ounces   or   fraction 

thereof 5  cts. 

Packets  in  excess  of  ten  ounces,  for 

each  two  ounces  or  fraction  thereof     1  ct. 
Samples  of  merchandise: 

Packets  not  in  excess  of  four  ounces.     2  cts. 
Packets  in  excess  of  four  ounces,  for 

each  two  ounces  or  fraction  thereof  10  cts. 
Registration  fee  on  letters  or  other 

articles 10  cts. 

In  his  most  comprehensive  littie  work  on 
European  travel  Mr.  Luce  forgets  nothing  and 
even  includes  these  words  of  advice  to  the  de- 
vote    of  the  camera: 

It  is  often  thought  that  in  luiying  a  camera 
the  securing  of  a  good  lens  is  the  all  important 
thing,  and  that  the  mechanism  of  the  shutter 
Is  a  minor  detail.  Bean  didn't  think  so  when 
his  shutter  refused  to  work  in  the  Alhambra, 
a  place  of  all  places  where  a  camera  in  good 
condition  seemed  most  desirable.  It  turned  out 
that  the  wooden  base  of  the  shutter  mechanism 
had  been  swollen  during  the  ocean  voyage  so 
that  something  was  thrown  out  of  gear,  and  a 
camera  that  had  done  long  and  excellent  work 
in  America  was  for  a  while  not  woith  a  cent. 
Nobody  could  be  found  with  knowledge  enough 
of  hand  cameras  to  repair  this  one,  and  it  was 
weeks    before    Bean's    own    struggle    with    the 

193 


thing  in  spare  moments  got  that  shutter  into 
condition  again.  Moral:  Have  your  camera 
thoroughly  examined  by  an  expert  in  such  mat- 
ters  before  you  start. 

Wherever  there  is  a  film  agency,  you  can  get 
your  films  developed,  but  the  foreign  work  in 
this  line  is  not  equal  to  the  American,  and  it 
is  better  to  wait  till  you  get  back.  Yet  it  is 
wise  to  have  one  or  two  films  developed  now 
and  then  to  see  that  the  shutter  is  working 
right  and  that  the  film  has  not  been  damaged. 


194 


CHAPTER    XVII. 


^ 


The  Paris  Exposition  of   1900. 

NDER  this  head  F.  O.  Houghton  & 
Co.,  steamship  agents,  of  No.  115 
State  street,  Boston,  have  com- 
'^'S^^^i^^^/  piled  in  the  following  compre- 
hensive form  considerable  infor- 
mation as  to  this  coming  event  which  is  casting 
such  a  mighty  shadow  before  it: 

SITE  OF  THE  EXPOSITION. 

Preparations  for  the  Exposition  are  now  well 
advanced.  The  preliminary  studies  are  made 
with  great  care  and  thoroughness,  and  the  gen- 
eral scheme  of  the  Exposition  is  now  well 
defined.  The  works  of  demolition  and  construc- 
tion, for  which  the  period  of  a  little  more  than 
two  years  remaining  will  barely  suffice,  have 
begun  and  will  be  vigorously  prosecuted.  The 
Exposition  will  open  Api'il  15,  and  will  close 
Nov.  5,  1900.  The  site  will  comprise  the  public 
grounds  on  both  sides  of  the  Seine  from  the 
Place  de  la  Concorde,  which  is  the  centre  of 
the   city,   to   a  point   beyond    the   Pont   d'Jcna, 

195 


embracing  the  Champ  de  Mars,  the  Trocadero 
Palace  and  Park  (site  of  the  Exposition  of  1889), 
the  Esplanade  des  Invalides,  the  Quai  d'Orsay, 
the  Quai  do  la  Conference,  the  Cour  la  Reine, 
and  a  large  section  of  the  Champs  Elysees, 
including  the  site  of  the  Palais  de  I'lndustrie,  the 
great  Iniilding  erected  for  the  International 
Exposition  of  1855.  the  first  of  the  series.  No 
other  city  in  the  world  contains,  in  its  very 
centre,  an  equal  area  available  for  a  great  expo- 
sition. This  site  leaves  nothing  to  be  desired 
in  point  of  convenience,  and  lends  itself  admir- 
ably to  the  works  of  decoration  and  embellish- 
ment, in  which  the  French  people  are  past 
masters. 

ARCHITECTIIRAL,   PL,A\S. 

The  unique  Palace  of  the  Trocadero,  erected 
for  the  Exposition  of  1878,  and  utilized  a  second 
time  in  1889,  will  be  used,  as  well  as  several  of 
the  great  exposition  halls  of  1889  in  the  Champ 
de  Mars,  but  all  of  them  will  undergo  more  or 
less  modification.  The  Eiffel  Tower  will  be  pre- 
served, but  it  is  probable  that  some  new  and 
striking  features  will  be  added  to  it. 

TRAIVSFORTATlOiX       PACI1.IT1KS,       HOTELS. 

EIC. 

The  national  and  municipal  authorities  and 
the  management  of  the  Exposition  are  preparing 
to  co-operate  in  improving  the  transportation 
facilities  and  public  conveniences  of  Paris,  and 
in  adding,  before  1900,  to  the  already  numerous 

196 


attractions  of  the  city.  A  nuinijei'  of  modern 
hotels,  some  of  which  are  already  under  con- 
struction, and  several  handsome  new  theatres 
will  he  built,  and  the  magnificent  Opera 
Comique,  now  in  course  of  erection,  will  he 
completed.  Public  parks,  gardens  and  squares 
will  be  created  in  all  parts  of  the  city.  At  night 
the  city  will  be  brilliantly  illuminated  by  an 
extensive  system  of  electric  lights  as  far  as  the 
outer  boulevards  and  including  the  Bois  de  Bou- 
logne and  de  Vincennes. 

It  is  the  avowed  purpose  to  make  the  Exposi- 
tion surpass  all  its  predecessors,  l)oth  in  Franca 
and  elsewhere:  not,  perhaps,  in  extent  or  in 
architectural  features,  for  it  is  conceded  that  in 
these  respects  there  is  little  hope  of  eclipsing 
the  great  achievement  at  Chicago,  but  in  its 
artistic  aspects,  in  the  logical,  comprehensive 
and  scientific  system  of  classification  and  award, 
and  in  the  uniformity  and  harmony  of  the 
whole. 

GEXEKAL    IM{«».li;CT. 

The  first  international  exposition  was  liehl  in 
1855,  the  second  in  ISHT,  and  the  third  and 
fourth,  respectively,  in  187S  and  ISNU.  The 
interval  In-tween  the  fiist  and  second  was  twelve 
years:  eleven  years  separated  tiie  second  aiul 
third,  and  a  like  peritjd  tiie  tb.ird  and  fourth. 
The  Exposition  of  ISSH  was  scaicely  terminated 
when  thf  iiuljjic  opinion  of  P'rance  spontane- 
ously fixer]  llMi'i,  tlie  closing  year  of  the  century, 

197 


then    eleven   years   distant,    as   the   date   of   its 
successor. 

FINANCIAL,  ARRAIVGEMENTS. 

One  hundred  million  francs  ($20,000,000)  was 
provided  as  a  guaranty  fund  for  the  Exposition. 
Of  this  amount,  20,000,000  francs  vv^as  appropri- 
ated by  the  National  Government,  and  20,000,000 
francs  by  the  city  of  Paris,  while  60,000,000 
francs  represent  the  net  proceeds  of  an  emission 
of  3,250,000  bonds  of  20  francs  each.  These 
bonds  were  issued  by  the  Government,  with  the 
co-operation  of  five  leading  financial  institu- 
tions, the  Credit  Lyonnais,  the  Credit  Fonder, 
the  Comptoir  National  d'Escompte,  the  Societe 
Generale  pour  Favoriser  le  Development  de  Com- 
merce et  de  rindustrie  en  France,  and  the 
Societe  Generale  de  Credit  Industriel  et  Com- 
mercial. These  institutions  underwrote  bonds 
to  the  amount  of  2,400,000  francs,  and  receive  a 
commission  of  .5  per  cent,  on  the  sales.  After 
providing  for  this  commission  and  for  the  other 
expenses  of  the  issue,  there  remain  GO. 000, 000 
francs,  which  are  deposited  at  the  Caisse  des 
Depots  et  Consignations  until  1900  at  2i/^  per 
cent,  interest,  the  Bank  of  France  agreeing  to 
make  advances  from  time  to  time  for  pi'elim- 
inary  expenses  to  the  amount  of  6,000,000  francs 
at  114  per  cent,  interest,  upon  the  security  of 
receipts  of  the  Caisse  des  Depots  et  Consigna- 
tions for  deposits  of  the  profits  of  the  bonds. 

Any  surplus  that  may  remain  after  the  ex- 
penses of  the  Exposition  are  defrayed  will   be 

198 


divided  equally  between  the  national  and   mu- 
nicipal treasuries. 

AD31ISSIONS. 

The  regular  price  for  the  afternoon  will  l)e 
one  franc  (19.3  cents).  For  mornings,  after- 
noons and  special  days  the  admission  price  may 
be  increased.  Season  and  monthly  tickets  will 
be  offered  at  a  reduction.  Every  exhibitor  in 
the  contemporary  exposition  will  be  given  a 
complimentary  season  ticket,  and  the  necessary 
employees  at  his  exhibit  will  also  receive  com- 
plimentary admissions. 

PROTECTIOX    OF   EXHIBITS. 

No  work  of  art  or  exhibit  of  any  kind  can  be 
copied  or  reproduced  except  by  a  special  permit 
of  the  exhibitor,  approved  by  the  administra- 
tion. The  taking  of  general  photographs,  how- 
ever, will  be  authorized.  Inventions  susceptible 
of  being  patented,  plans  and  specifications  of 
machinery,  etc.,  will  be  fully  protected. 

CATALOGUES. 

A  general  catalogue  will  be  prepared  in  the 
French  language,  naming  the  works  and  produc- 
tions of  all  nations  on  exhibition,  with  the 
names  of  exhibitors  and  the  location  of  exhili- 
its  in  the  buildings  or  grounds.  Tlie  sale  of 
these  catalogues  on  the  exposition  grounds  will 
be  regulated  by  the  administration  and  will  be 
subject  to  the  payment  of  a  royalty. 

RECOMPE.XSES.    DIl'I.OMAS,  ETC. 

All   works  exhibited   will   be  passed   upon,   as 

199 


in  1S89.  l)y  an  international  jury,  which  will 
have  three  degrees  of  jurisdiction— juries  of 
class,  juries  of  group,  superior  jury. 

Reports  will  be  published  by  the  Government, 
together  with  an  official   list  of  the  awards. 

Only  diplomas  will  i)e  granted  as  recom- 
penses. They  will  be  thus  classified:  grand 
prize  diplomas,  gold  medal  (lii)lonias,  silver 
medal  diplomas,  bronze  medal  diplomas,  hon- 
orable   mention    diplomas. 

No  exhibitor  acting  as  a  juror  and  no  firm  or 
company  represented  on  a  jury  by  any  member, 
stockholder,  agent  or  employe,  will  be  eligible 
to  an  award. 

tOiVfES.mOMS. 

Concessions  and  privileges  for  entertainments, 
refreshment  booths,  etc.,  will  be  granted  by  the 
Minister  of  Commerce,  Industry,  Posts  and  Tel- 
egraphs upon  the  recommendation  of  the  Com- 
missary General.  All  privileges  for  pecuniary 
benefit  must  pay  a  royalty  or  percentage  of  re- 
ceipts to  the  exposition.  No  advertisements, 
catalogues  or  prospectuses  can  be  circulated  in 
the  exposition  grounds  except  under  special 
license,  for  which  a  suitable  fee  will  be  charged. 

REGl  I.ATI<)\S    AS    TO    I'AltlFF   DITIES,   ETC. 

The  exposition  grounds  are  constituted  a 
bonded  warehouse.  Foreign  exhibits  may  enter 
France  through  any  custom  house.  They  should 
be  accompanied  by  a  bulletin  from  the  shipper, 
attached   to   the   bill   of   lading   and    indicating 

200 


their  nature,  class,  weight  and  place  of  origin. 
These  goods  will  be  transported  directly  to  the 
exposition  grounds  under  the  conditions  of  in- 
ternational or  domestic  transit  at  the  choice  of 
the  shipper.  They  will  be  exempt  from  statis- 
tical dues  and  from  inspection  at  the  frontier. 
Seals  will  be  affixed  without  cliarge.  All  for- 
eign products  will  be  taken  in  charge  at  the  ex- 
position grounds  by  the  special  customs  agents, 
and,  if  finally  entered  for  consumption,  will  be 
subject  only,  whatever  their  origin,  to  the  du- 
ties imposed  upon  like  products  from  the  most 
favored  nation. 

CL  VSSIFIt  A  ri<>\     OF     KXHIHITS. 

The  post  of  honor  is  occupied  by  education — 
■"the  channel  l)y  which  man  enters  into  life, 
the  source  of  all  progress."  Next  come  works 
of  art,  and  the  third  place  is  assigned  to  the 
instruments  and  genei'al  processes  of  letters, 
sciences  and  arts.  Then  come  "the  great  fac- 
tors of  contemporary  production, the  most  pow- 
erful agents  of  industrial  achievement  at  the 
end  of  the  nineteenth  century,"  the  material 
and  general  processes  of  mechanics,  electricity, 
civil  engineering,  methods  of  transportation. 

A  new  giou])  has  been  created  for  the  "moi'al 
and  material  work  of  colonization,"  and  the  se- 
ries closes  with  the  military  and   naval   gi'oup. 

In  all  there  will  be  eighteeii  grc)Ui)s  and  one 
hundred  and  twenty  sections,  as  compared  with 
twelve  groups  and  nearly  a  thousand  sections  at 
Chicago. 

201 


The  government  at  Washington  is  now  en- 
deavoring to  secure,  in  behalf  of  the  League 
of  American  Wheelmen,  the  free  entry  of  bi- 
cycles into  European  countries.  On  Oct.  27, 
1897, Secretary  Sherman  sent  the  following  let- 
ter to  the  American  ambassador,  at  Paris,  and 
similar  letters  to  the  United  States  embassies 
at  Rome  and  Berlin,   and   to  the   Legations  at 

Berne  and   Brussels: 

Sir:  I  enclose  herewith  a  copy  of  a  letter  addressed  to 
me  under  date  of  October  15,  by  Isaac  B.  Potter,  Presi- 
dent of  the  League  of  American  Wheelmen,  in  which  he 
represents  the  important  standing  of  that  organization, 
enrolling  as  it  does.  100,000  associates,  the  number  of  its 
members  who  visit  the  European  countries  for  recreation 
and  the  desirability  of  having  that  organization  placed 
in  those  countries  upon  the  same  or  similar  footing  of 
reciprocal  privilege  with  other  well-known  associations 
of  touring  cyclists. 

It  is  presumed  that  the  facilities  accorded  in  France  to 
the  British  organization  and  others  on  the  continent 
have  been  reached  by  virtue  of  a  reciprocal  understand- 
ing whereby  the  formalities  for  the  respective  introduc- 
tion of  cycles  and  the  favors  shown  to  the  members  have 
been  specified. 

You  are  authorized  to  bring  the  matter  informally  at 
first,  and  afterward  more  formally,  should  a  suitable 
occasion  for  such  a  course  appear,  to  the  notice  of  the 
Government  of  France,  expressing  the  pleasure  it  would 
afford  this  Government  to  see  a  convenient  and  equitable 
interchange  of  '  courtesies  established  in  this  regard. 
Should  you  find  a  -disposition  to  favorably  consider  this 
suggestion  you  will  ascertain  upon  what  terms  the  pro- 
posed arrangement  might  be  efCected.     Respectfully  yours, 

.JOHN   SHERMAN. 

Meanwhile  Joseph  Pennell,  the  L.  A.  W.  rep- 
resentative in  London,  has  been  for  weeks  pur- 
suing the  same  object,  and  a  letter  has  just  been 
received  by  President  Potter  from  Mr.  Pennell 
announcing  that  the  Swiss  and  Belgian  govern- 
ments have  decided  to  grant  the  application  of 
the  L.  A.  W.  and  it  only  remains  to  make  out 

202 


the  necessary  papers.  A  letter  has  also  been 
received  from  the  embassy  at  Rome  reporting 
favorable  progress  and  asking  for  a  quantity  of 
"sample"  membership  tickets  of  the  L.  A.  W. 
for  use  among  the  Italian  customs  stations.  A 
further  report  is  expected. 

The  splendor  of  the  last  Paris  Exposition  is 
undoubted.  Yet  its  success  was  attained  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  it  commemorated  the  fall  of  the 
Bastile.  which  did  not  make  it  too  popular  with 
other  European  countries  which  favored  forms 
of  government  other  than  republican.  In  1900 
no  such  adverse  circumstance  will  militate 
against  its  success  and  it  is  sure  to  be  wit- 
nessed by  hundreds  of  thousands  of  English- 
speaking  persons,  ready  to  welcome  the  dawn  of 
a  new  century. 


20.3 


More  Details  of  the  Exposition. 

The  World  Almanac,  which  we  quote  by  per- 
mision,  has  among  pages  of  other  matter  of 
details  on  the  subject,  these  interesting  facts: 

THE   JURY. 

Till'  jury  wiU  be,  as  in  ISSit.  intenialiimal,  sul>-(Uvided 
into  juries  of  class,  juries  of  groups,  and  superior  jury. 
Foreign  jurors  will  be  named  by  the  Commissioners  of  the 
respective  countries.  The  Foreign  Commissioners  will  be 
ex  officio  meml>ers  of  the  superior  jury.  The  superior 
jury  will  finally  revise  the  list  of  awards,  and  the  dis- 
tribution of  diplomas  will  take  place  about  the  b?ginning 
of  September,  1900. 

AWAKD.S. 

Only  diplomas  will  be  granted,  thus  classified:  Grand 
prize  diplomas,  gold  medal  diplomas,  silver  medal  diplo- 
mas,  and  diplomas  of  honorable   tiu^ntinn. 

M.\IN   FE.VTl'KES. 

The  grand  entrance  to  the  Exposition  of  1900  will  be  off 
the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  close  to  the  Seine,  but  there 
will  be  a  multitude  of  other  entrances  in  the  Champs- 
Elysees.  the  Champs  de  Mars,  and  the  Esplanade  des 
Invali<les.  The  Exposition  authorities  themeslves  do  not 
know  what  will  be  the  most  jiopular  and  striking  feature 
of  the  Exposition,  but  it  will  doubtless  prove  to  be  one 
of  the  following,   all  of  them   novel  and  attractive: 

1.  The  street  of  modern  Paris,  running  along  the  em- 
bankment from  the  Place  de  la  Concorde  to  the  Pont 
de  I'Alma.  This  will  illustrate  the  art  and  wit  of 
France  and  will  contain  palaces  of  dancing,  song,  and  all 
that  is  refined  in  the  curiosities  of  Paris.  The  directors 
of  the  Opera  and  another  leading  Paris  tlieatre  are  en- 
gaged upon  its  elaboration. 

2.  M.  Deloncle's  telescope,  bringing  the  moon's  surface 
apparently  within  40  kilometres  (25  miles)  of  the  spec- 
tator. 

3.  A  city  of  gold,  near  the  Trocadero,  showing  every 
detail  of  gold  production,  with  Californian  miners  and 
models  of  the  mines. 

4.  A  gigantic  Turning  Palace,  or  Revolving  Tower,  IdO 
yards  high  and  lighted  throughout   by  electricity. 

204 


5.  The  Grand  and  T.ittle  Palaces  of  the  Fine  Ait«  •>(  all 
nations. 

6.  The  Pavilion  of  the  Press,  and  those  of  the  sjieoial 
commissioners   which   will   be   scattered   over    the   area. 

7.  An  enormous  Terrestrial  Globe  by  tht-  fanDus 
French  geographer.  M.  Recliis.  jjlaced.  owing  to  its  size, 
outside   the   Expositinn    inopt-i-. 

S.  Palace  of  the  Arm.v  and  Xavy  and  a  Palace  of  Fdod. 
or   Alimentation. 

WOMAN'S    PA  LACK. 

In  addition  to  these  there  will  almost  certainly  be  a 
Woman's  Palace,  showing  the  development  of  feminine 
education,  training  and  labor;  a  switchback:  a  colossal 
vat;  an  enormous  hell;  imitation  of  the  Blue  Grotto  of 
Capri,  of  the  fountain  of  Vancluse:  captive  balloons:  a 
cyclorama  of  the  war  of  secession  in  America,  and  other 
devices   to   interest,    charm,   or   amuse. 

THE    EXTENT. 

It  is  calculated  that  the  Expnsition  of  llliiii  will  c.iver 
three  times  the  space  occupied  by  the  exhibitinn  ol'  l.S.S!). 
The  ground  will  not  be  i.iartitioned  off  by  nationalities. 
but  by  sections,  each  section  being  de\-oted  tn  a  part  iriilar 
indu.stry  or  art. 

C()N(  'I'^.SSb  I. VS. 

In  most  cases  the  system  adopted  fur  tlu'  disposal  of 
concessions  will  be  auction  sales  and  sjiecial  i-untracts: 
and  all  applications  for  concessions  for  the  ri,t;lit  to  estab- 
lish shows  of  various  kinds  should  be  addresseil  y-.y  the 
American  citi/.cn  to  Ma.jor  Handy,  Chicago.  In  all  conces- 
sions there  will  ln'  hiserti-d  thi'  fallowing  clausrs  .ind  .gen- 
eral  conditions: 

1.  Xo  one  nia.v  bid  for  a  cuni-t-ssinn  unless  he  is  domi- 
ciled in  Paris  or  has  a  qualified  and  responsible  a.gent 
there. 

2.  The  aiiplicant  must  provr  that  If  is  ]iossi-ssfd  i>(  thf 
necessary  means  and  is  cipafilc  of  carr.\'iiig  liis  nndei-- 
taking  to  a  sucressful  issue. 

'A.  The  a])p|ic-ant  must  make  a  deposit  in  arcurdance 
with  the  dicree  rt-lating  to  all  agreements  sigin-d  in  the 
name  of  the  State. 

4.  Concessionaii-es  must  builil  and  inst:ill  their  shows. 
etc..  at  their  own  exi>ense  and  at  th^ir  own  risk  and  peril. 
and  must  submit  plans  rjf  their  buildings  to  th^' adiriinistra- 
tion  of  the  exhibition  on  or  l)efore  the  day  of . 

5.  Water,  gas.  and  eh-ctric-ity  will  b-  suiipli.-rl  by  the 
exhibition  at  ordinaiy   priceK, 

6.  All  shows,  exhibiticjns.  and  establishments  direct. vl 
by  concessionaires  must   be  oiien   tn   the   |iublic   throughout 

20.-, 


the  duration  of  the  exhibition  (fioni  April  I."i  tu  Novem- 
ber 5.  1900),  and  from  the  opening  to  the  closing  of  the 
gates. 

7.  Precautions  against  fire  must  be  takin  liy  conces- 
sionaires at  their  own  expense.    ' 

8.  No  concession  may  be  sub-let  in  whole  or  in  iiart 
without  the  sanction  of  the  Commissary-General. 

9.  Cases  of  disagreement  between  concessionaires  and 
the  administration  will  be  referred  to  a  jury  of  three 
members,  one  to  be  designated  by  the  Commissary-Gen- 
eral, the  second  by  the  concessionaire,  and  the  third  by 
the  other  two. 


206 


Cirr  iFUet  of  transatlantic  J^assenflfr  cStcamers. 

clxtdes  only  regular  pas»eng<^  lines  from  New   York.    Offices  and  piers  are  in  Manhattan  Borough 


otherwise  stated. 


TtlMimTPfc. 


Bout. 


TONIXAGK. 


Bolklaiar 


HOBSS 
POWEE, 


YORK    AND   Glasgow,    Plerl  ALLAK-8TATB  LINR 
;  W.  21at  St- J     (Office. 63  Broadway.) 


Id 


CommAsdAr. 


DUfKNSIONS 

IN  rirr. 


State  Link  Estabushkd  1872. 


of  Nebraska. 

:olla ,.. 

ofCalilornla. 


1880:Gla.S)?ow. 
189llGlasgow. 
18911  Glasgow. 


Lond.  &  Gl'gowCo. 4^12680 
Lond.  &  Gi'gowCo  ,Ld  3080 
Lond.  &  GrgowCo.,Ld  2670 


4000 
47B0 
4600 


660 


Brown. 
Braes. . . 


43  3J 
46  33.6 
46  29.7 


YOBK  AND   Southampton.) 
r  foot  Fulton  St, ,  N.  K.  ] 


AMERICAN  LINE. 
(Offlce,6  Bowling  Green.) 


ESTABUSHED  1892. 


mis ll894,Philadelphla 

Hil 1894lPhiladelphiii 

1889[Glasgow 

York Il88«  Glasgow 


\Vm.  Cramp  &  Sons. . 
Wm.  Cramp  &  Sons. . 
J.  &G.  Thomson. 


689411629  200001   ..  iRandle 636.863    I    42 

6874 11629  20000    ..   Jamison I535.8|83        42 

6289,10796  20000i2000Watklns m)   |6i8l    42 


J.&G.  Thomson l6318ll0803l20000l3000lPassow l580 


42 


York  ani> 
tw.  24th  St. 


GLASCK3W, 


Pier)  ANCHOR  LINE. 

J  (Office,  7  Bowling  Green. ) 


E8TABLJ8HED  1862. 


)f  Rome... ...11881 

lOria 1874 

la 1873 

asia 1878 

)pia  .   1873 

1880 


Barrow iBalrow  S.  B.  Co.. 

Barrow iBarrow  S.  B.  Co... 

Port  Glasgow  R.  Duncan  <fe  Co. .. 

Barrow Barrow  S.  B.  Co.. 

Glasgow A.  Stephen  &  Son. 

Barrow Barrow  S.  B.  Co.. 


3468 
2713 
2626 
2770 
2804 
2613 


8144 
4168 
4060 
4272 
4006 
6496 


ilSOOl  Young., 

I  617'john  WUson. 

11120  Baxter 

I  600Bothby 

720|Wadsworth . 
1  600  Harris 


661 

63 

408 

40 

4(KI 

40 

40(1 

42 

40S 

42 

446 

46 

YOKK,    (iUEENSTOWN,    AND)  CUNARD    UNE. 

fERPOOL,  Pier  foot  Clarkson  St  /  (Office,  4  Bowling  Green.) 


Established  1840. 


pan la. 
nla. ... 
rla.... 
rla.... 
kDla... 
Is 


.1892,Fairfield. 

.18y2lFalrfield. 
.'18><6  Fairfield. 
;  1884  Fairfield. 
.1883  Glasgow.. 
.11881  Glasgow.. 
.11879  Glasgow.. 


John  Elder&Co 1600012960 

John  Elder*  Co......  600012950 

John  Elder&Co 32671  7718 

John  Elder  &(3o 3246^  7718 

J.  &  G.  Thomson '4029'  7268 

•T.  &  G.  Thomson 3971   7391 

J.  &  O.  Thomson.   .,   '308l!  4808 


300001    *  iWalker 

30(X)n'  •  H,  McKay.. 
14600  2600  Ferguson  . . . 
145(10  ffioODutton 

SSOOIRkJa.  McKay.. 
10000 1000  Watt 

46001  700lWarr 


620 

620 

601.  ( 

601. 

470 

616 

430. 


66.3143 
65.3  43 
.2!38.3 
238.2 
67.237.2 
6a  1 37 
144.6lsi4 


667 
667 


r  York    and     Havre, 
t  Morton  St 


St.  Nazaire . . 

Toulon 

Toulon 

11886 St  Nazalre.. 
'1886 St  Nazalre.. 
1882  Barrow,  Eng. 


Pier)  FRENCH  LINE. 

J  (Office, 3  Bowling  Green.) 


ESTAJSI/ISBED  1860. 


CleGleTransatlaa'quei  ..  |  9778 
Soc.  des  Forges,  etc.. 4168  7416 
Soc.  des  Forges,  etc.. '41711  7400 
CleGleTransatlan' que  3906  7110 
(SeOleTransatlan*  que  3889'  7010 
347616112 


ouraine 

iseogne 

lourgogne. . 
hampagne. 

iretiigne 

'orrrjandie. . 


.11890 

.1886 
.11886 


12000 
9000 

I  9000 
9000 
9000 
6500 


iSantelll 

Baudelon.. . 
Le  Boeuf .  . . 

Poirot 

iRupb 

iDeloncle. .  .. 


636 

66 

508 

62 

508 

62 

508 

61 

608 

61 

469 

60 

38 


84 


f    York,    SouTnAiiPTON, 

IZP.BOURQ,  and  HaMBUBO, 

it  foot  1st  St ,  Hoboken. 


HAMBUHG- AMERICAN   LINE. 
Office, 37  Broadway.) 


Established  1847. 


12000 164057  aSTOAlbers 

12000 16000  2760iBarend8 

12000 13500  2600'Kfl«mpfr . .  . . 
lOOjX)  12500  2600;  Vogelgesang 

SplTedt 

iKopff 

Karlowa 

Bauer 

Leithauser. . . 

Schmidt  .... 

Ree.ssing 

Magi  n 

Martens 

Piet.sch 

Kuhn 

iSchroeder.  . . 

Reuter 

Froehllch 

Krech ;. 

H.  Schmidt.. 


rtBismarck.  ..  1890Stettln Vulcan  S.  B.  Co.  ... 

mannia 1890 Glasgow Fairfield S.  B.  Co... 

nsta Victoria., 1889 Stettm iVulcan  S.  B.  Co.... 

unbla 1889  Birkenhead  .'Laird  Bros 

nsj-1  vacla 11897  Belfa-st 'Harlaud  &  Wolff . . 

I flria 1897  Hamburg Blohm  &  Voss. 


Iitia 
rla.  .., 
enicia 
»la . . . 
lla.... 
leniu. 
edia.. 
bla.... 
oria  . . 
lalu 

la 

bria.. 
Bla.  . . 
Coiiia 


la . 


1894  Stettin Vulcan  S.  B.  Co 

l894Stettin Vulcan  S.  B.  Co 

1894'Hamburg Blohm  &  Voss .■ 

1894  Belfast iHarland  &  Wolff 

1894  Belfa-st iHarland  &  Woltf 

1896  Newcastle . . . IPalmers 

1896  Belfast IHarland  &  Woltf..... 

1896 Belfast IHarland  &  Wolff...... 

18.96:Ne wca-stle . . . IPalmers. 

1896'Newcastle . ,  .IPalmers 

1896!  Newca-stle . . .  tPalmers 

1896lFlensburE.. .  .iFlensburg  S.  B.  Co. . . . 
1896'Flensburg.. .  .IFlensburg S.  B.  Co.... 
1896,Flensburg 'Flensburg  S.  B.  Co. . . . 


2.S6'0 

6(100 

2:«oo 

WKIO 

8(KHI 

55(KI 

8(MXI 

hfM' 

80U0 

56<K) 

7(HH) 

MM 

71KKI 

um 

70(Kt 

3(K»0 

im> 

30U0 

7000 

30(K) 

7(K10 

3000 

7(XI0 

■mw 

7«KKI 

zmx) 

504:^ 

6(KKI 

606(1 

6000 

6260 

6000 

620 

68 

620 

67 

520 

66 

460 

66 

56(1 

62 

mi 

62 

46(1 

62 

460 

52 

46(1 

52 

446 

61 

446 

51 

4(K) 

60 

4(KI 

49 

40<l 

49 

xn 

53 

400 

50 

4<KI 

60 

404 

;<2 

4(»4 

32 

404 

32 

40 
40 
38 
38 
42 
42 
32 
32 
32 
30 
30 
30 
30 
30 
29 
30 
30 
26 
26 
26 


York,  Boulogne,  Amster-I  HOLLAND-AMERICA   LINE. 

»M,  a.sdRotterdam,  PiersfootSNETUERLANDS-AMERICAN  LINT 

3>arjd  7th  Sts. ,  Hoboken.  )  (OfTice,  39  Broa<lway  ) 


"CSTABLISHKU  1874. 


""■■'  im 11897|Belfast iHarland  &  Wolff. 6000'  80001 

tm .1881  Belfast Ularlaudfe  Wolff.:....  3123   4639, 

1 -1872  r.elfast Harland  &  Wol tf.. . . . .  2702   3984' 

:"M,.n, 1872  Ficlffust tHfTlandft  Wolff......  2438    3707 

rkenilam 'l*'.^!  I'.flf.-ust iHarland  &  Wolff. 26541  36f,7 

iMerdam..-. 11^79  )'.flfiu-,t IHarland  &  Woltf. 12681,  ,%27 

lam I1880  lielfast Harland  &  Wolff ....  .12277   3668 

ua |1878  Belfast Ilarland  &  Wolff |2361|  3329 

tondanat I  ..  iBelfost IHarland  4  Wolff 1760010500 


50001  Bonjer 

.86(Hi  Van  der  Zee. 
13600. \ Id.  Potjer.. 

'360o,Slenger 

12600  I'onsen 

25O0|W.  Baiker.. 
2600' Itoggc veen  . . 
2100'BruInBma.... 
6600'         


486 

63 

4-M 

42 

420 

41 

420 

41 

410 

39 

411 

:» 

411 

39 

390 

38 

626 

60I 

84 
31 
81 
31 
29 
29 


'26.600  registered. 


t  Building. 


I 


Built. 


Balldcn, 


Kew  Yobk,   Southampton,    an 
Bremkn,   Pier  2d  St.,    Uohoken 


TONNAOE. 

POW.E.     1 

■s 

i 

,1        A 

OommAader. 


Dimi 

IN  If 


Dl  NORTH  GERMAN  LLOYD. 
1.7      (Office,  2  Bowling  Orppn.) 


EsTABLiaHsr 


Kaiser  NVUhelm  d. 

Cirosse 

Kalaer  Freldrich*. 

Spree 

Hftvel 

Liabn 

Saale 

Trave I 

AUer 

Ems 

Freldrich  d.  Grosse 

KonlRln  Luise 

Barbarossa... 

Bremen 

H.  H.  Meier. 


1897  Stettir 

..  iDanzig 

1890. Stettin 

1890'Stettln 

18«7  Fairfield.... 

liw^eaittsgow. .. . 

lH>«Gln.sgov'...  . 
18S6(ilu.sgow. ..  . 
l>«4(}lasK0W. ..  . 

IKytiSlt^ttin 

1H<«  Stettin 

lH96Hamburg.. . 

jl896:Danzlg 

ll89'2|Newca3tle.. 


New  York    and  Gknoa, 
foot  2d  St. ,  Hoboken. 


Fieri 


Vulcan  Shipb'  Id'  eC'o. 
Schlchau  shlpbl'g  Co, 
VulciinShlpb'ld'gCo. 
Vulcjin  Shipb' Id 'gCu. 
FairfleldK.  &S.  B.  Co. 

Elder  &  Co 

Elder  &  Co 

Elder&  Co 

Elder  &  Co 

VuicanShipb'ld'gCo. 
Vulcan  Sbipb'ld'gCo. 

Blohm  &  Voss 

Schlchau  Shipbl'g  Co. 
Mitchell ,  A '  strong  Co 


. .    1380027000 

.  .    12800  26000 

3769  696313000' 

3769   696;i'i:iooo 

'2879   5681,  b«(ili 


:te 


2779 

5:^81 

7,Sl«l| 

2779 

5Kil|  76(i0 

2779 

6;j81   7500 

2893 

5192   700<i 

lOoOO 

7000 

1O6O0 

7000 

lawo 

7000 

10500 

8000 

5306'  3800 

nglehart . . 

Isiormer 

Meier 

Chrisloflers. 

I'olile 

BluTike 

Thaleuhorst 

VVetlln 

Harra.S3owltz 
Elchel.... 
V.  Schuck'nn 

Rlchter 

Relmkaaten 
Steencken . . 


NORTH  GERMAN  LLOYD. 
(OlBce,  2  Bowling  Green.) 


649 
600 
481 
481 
464 
456 
456 
456 
445 
546 
544 
646 
544 
481 


EflTABUSHED 


Fulda 11883jGla.sgow 

Werra il«82l01a.sgow 

Kaiser  Wilhelm  II  1888; Stetlin.  ■ 
New  Yokk   and  ANTWKitp,  Fieri 


Elaeri  Co I  ...  |  4814'  6300 

Elder*  Co ...     48151  6300 

Vulcan  Sh'o!' Id's  Co. |4776|  ^-^ '■  KoOO 


foot  Fulton  SL  ,  N.  R. 


Friesland |1889|Gla.sgow .... 

Westemland 'l883lBlrkenhead.. 

Noordland 'IMSSlBirkonliead., 

Southwark [189aDumbarton.. 

Kensington ll894K)l8.sgow  .. . ., 


,       RED  LjIAR  LINK. 
/  (OfHce,  6  Bowling  Green . ) 


Petermann., 

Mlrow 

Hogemann. 


446 
446 

465 


EsTABUsnan 


Skw  Yokk,  Christiania,  Co- 
penhagen, AND  Stktxin 
Pier  foot  4th  Bt,  Hoboken. 


■} 


J.  &  G.  Thomson 

Laird  Bros 

Laird  iiros ,... 

W.  Denny  &  Hws. .... 
J.  &».  Thomson 


5023 
4320 
4019 
5642 
5645 


6994 
6398 

8607 
8669 


803|  Nickels 


700 

600 

1237 

1237 


Mills. 
Loesewltz... 

Bence 

Bond 


456 
456 
419 
494 
494 


THTNQVALLA  LINE. 
(Oaice.  28  State  St. )    ' 


Ebtabushed 


Amerlka. 
Hekla.... 
Island...... 

Norge 

Thlngvalla.. 


1872 
1884 
1883 
1881 

1874 


Belfast 

Greenock 

Copenhagen . 

Ohusgow 

Copenhagen . 


Nkw  York,   Queenstown,  and 
LivERPOOt>,  Pier  foot  W.  10th  St. . 


Hariandft  Wolff 

Scott  &  Co 

Burmelster  &  Walo. . 

Stephens  &  Son 

Burmeister  &  Wain. . 


8867 
8258 
2844 
3359 
2524  1000 


4000 
2150 
2000 
1600 


Thomsen . . 

Laub 

Skjodt 

Knudsen . 
Berentsen. 


I  437 
833 
824 
840 
801 


WHITE    STAR  LINE. 
(Office,  9  Broadway.) 


Established 


Teutonic 1889Belfast. 

Majestic 1889  Belfast . 

Britannic 1874  Belfast . 

Germanic... 18741  Bel  fast . 

Adriatic |1871,Belfast . 

Oceanic* ,.    ..  iBelfast. 


Harlond  &  Wolff 

Harland  &  Wolff.... 

Harland  &  Wolff. 

Harland  &  Wolff.   . 
Harland  &   Wolff.... 
Harland  &  Wolff. . . . , 


4269  9984|160002400|Cameron 

4269  9966 16000  2400  K  J.Smith. 


3152:  5004 

2989   fH>66 

3468,  8887 

..  Il7000l 


4590 
46(H1 
3600 


760|  Haddock 
760,McKlnstry . 
600  


6661 
666 
466 

466 
437 

704 


4JI 

4I1 
41 


New  York  aAd  London,      )  WILSON'S  &  FURNESS-LEY 
"Wilson Pier, Brooklyn  Borough  j"  (Office,  22  State  St.) 


ND  LINE. 


Established  16 


Alexandra 1897|Ula.sgow ^Stephens  &  Son , 

Boadtcea 1897GL'usgow Stephens  A  Son 

Cleopatra 1897  Hull Earl  a  B.  &  Eng,  Co. 

Winifred 1897Belfa.st Harland  &  Wolff 

Victoria 1897  W.  Hartlep'I  Furness,  Withy  &Co. 


10000 
10000 
10000 
10000 
10000 


iMarshall. 


Brown  . 


Farrlngton. 


490  62.; 
490  52.; 
490  62.; 
490  53  I 
490  62  ; 


Nkw  York  AND  Htti.l,         > 
Wilson  Pier.  Brooklyn  Borough.  ) 


WILSON  LINE. 
(Office,  22  State  St.) 


Established  w 


Buffalo.... 

Ohio 

Colorado . . 
MarteUo  .. 
Francisco. 
Hindoo  ... 


1885|Newca8tle.  . 
1880  Dumbarton, 

1887HU11. 

1884HU11 

1891  Newcastle. 
1889'NewcastIe..  . 


♦Building. 


Palmers 2909;  4431 

A.  McMill  &  Sons, . . .  2667]  S967 

Earles 278?!  4:20 

Earles 24241  3709 

R.Siephen8on&Co.Ld2971   4604 
RStephenson  &  Cn.  Ld  24071  3720 


I  600 
460 
600 
660 
600 

I  600 


Malel.... 
Akester  . 
Whitlon  , 
Potter  .. 
Jenkiii'i  , 


3»<6, 
860] 
370l 
870. 

370' 


Wing  .    . . ...I   8i>?l 


4HiS 

I 


TIME   AND   DISTANCE    REQUIRED   TO    STOP   STEAMERS. 

The  following  calculations  as  to  the  length  of  time  and  distance  required  to  stop  a  steam  vesseb- 
ing  full  speed  aliead  when  the  nropelling  machinery  i.^  reversed  were  made  by  W.  D.  Weaver,  U 
Assistant  Engineer  of  the  United  Slates  Navy,  for  London  Engineer.     Omitting  the  mathematical  ' 
mulas,  Mr.  Weaver's  conclusions  are  given  for  the  Cunarder  Etruria,  the   Italian  In-nclad  I>epa 
the  United  States  naval  vessels  Columbia,  Yorktown,   Bancroft,  and  Cushing.  and  tu:  Russian 
pedo  boat  Wihorg: 


Etruria. . . . 
Lepanto. . . 
Columbia.. 
Yorktown. 
Bancroft... 

Oishlng 

SVlborg.... 


IMgplacement. 


9,680 

4,680 

7,360 

1,700 

832 

106 

138 


Horse  Power. 


14,321 
15,040 
17,991 
3,206 
l.irj 
1,754 
1,303 


Bpeeit. 


20.18 

18 

:12.8 

16  U 

14.52 

22.48 

19.96 


Keel. 
2,464 

2,522 
2,147 
989 
965 
301 
373 


Time, 


SecontU, 

167 

192 

136 
83.9 
91 
18.4 
25.6 


sn 


*  ESTABUSHED    1863 PUBLISHED   WEEKLY. 


Jlrmy  and  navy  lournal.» 


<»» 
1* 
*»> 
*»» 
'»» 
'♦» 

'U  GAZETTE  OF  THE  REGULAR  AND  VOLUNTEER  FORCES. 

S  Tlie  professional  organ  of  the  Military  Service  of  the 

ifjk  Country,  viz. : 

if)      The  Army  — Navy  — Marine   Corps- Revenue   Cutter  Service- 
jjj  National  Guard.  "^ 

<r»  HAS    SPECIAL    ADVANTAGES    AS    AN    ADVERTISING    MEDIUM 


Ulben 


you 


It  IS  regularly  read  by  the  classes  for  which  it  is  intended, 
and  ENJOYS  their  confidence  to  a  peculiar  degree  as  a  stand- 

TTIa  /I         '^'^'^   ^^^  TRUSTWORTHY  AUTHORITY. 

XI V I  vMVI  ji.,g  volumes  of  the  Army  and  Navy  Journal  contain  a 

K^ll^  complete  Military  History   of  the  World  since  1863.     The- 

l/WVV  ]jst  of  its  contributors,  past  and  present,  contains  the  names 

»of  the  most  distinguished  soldiers  and  sailors  of  the  period 
covered  by  its  history.     It  not  only  has  all  the  Army  and 
f  a11/M11  Navy  news,  but  it  is  the  medium  through  which  ofticers 

I  VllVW  j-gn  besi^  express  their  professional  opinions  with  a  certainty 

of  proper  hearing  and  through  which  they   can   compare 
their  own  service  with  those  of  Europe.     The  regular  peru- 
sal of  the  Army  and  Navy  Journal  is  the  readiest  means  of 
keeping  an  officer  an  coiirant  with  his  profession,  and  en- 
abling him  to  follow,  from  week  to  week,  the  fortunes  of 
^       absent  friends,  and  ascertain,  where  they  are  and  what  they  are 
jjj       doing. 
(If  «^ 

>*  Subscription  Price,  |6.oo  a  year.       fo  Clubs  ordering 

%       FIVE  COPIES,  I4.00   each  copy;    Clubs  ordering  ten  or 
*{■       MORE,  $3.00  each  copy. 

I  W.  C.  &  F.   P.    CHURCH,  Proprietors, 

vl!       Bennett  Building.  93=101  NASSAU  ST.,  NEW  YORK. 


e&'gj 


THE 


a- 


20t  CENTURY  ^^M^^*^  a^ 
^     CVCl-^  OOOD  ONE. 


TO 

BIKE 
ABROAD 

you  must  have  a 
lamp,  e^  The  20th 
Century  Bicycle 
Headlight  is  as  pop- 
ular in  Europe  as  in 
America. 


C(ikilO(|iir  froiiA  .  . 


2011^  CENTIIPY  Mrc  CO. 


17  W/\PI^I!N  5TPI:CT 


..     NIlW  VOI?l\  CI' IT 


*  Parts  and  supplies 
tan  be  had  every- 
where on  the  Globe ; 
therefore,  take  no 
Dther  on  your  trip, 
[t  is  wind  proof  — 
iar  proof — reliable« 


Headlight 


^f^\  CVCUQ4   POOP  ONE. 


rN 


3   1205  00140  9042 


li 


iMf  ipaiif  OF  Tfit 
^yCLlSQ  ^^Onf>  dcnuintis 
'^e  ^esf  and  endorses  fhe^ 


PRICE  $100  HIGHEST  AWARD  AT  NASHVILLE 

AT  ALL  RETAiLCRs  AND  BRUSSELS  EXPOSiTIONS. 


THE  VEEOER  CYCLOMETER  :,™;*  -  'rSl^V'^^: 

28  or  30-incli  wlitels.     Its  use  is  world-wide  and  parts  or  re- 
pairs can  be  had  anywhere. 


LIBRARY  FACILITY 


It 000328  325    6 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


Series  9482 


